The Water Tower

The Water Tower is a Grade II listed structure built in 1865, designed by supervising architect Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt. It is part of the improvements made at Castle Ashby by the 3rd Marquis of Northampton. The tower is constructed from coursed limestone rubble with limestone dressings, featuring concrete and lead roofs.

This square tower has an octagonal stair turret at the south-west angle, which includes an additional stage, reaching approximately 75 feet at the top of the turret. The bottom stage has a batter and a tall archway that connects the courtyard on the west side of Castle Ashby to a formal walk at the west end of the terrace gardens, leading down to the park. The round-headed arch has a tall keyblock and imposts, supported by console brackets. To the left of the archway is a narrow door leading to the stair turret, which has a segmental-arched head.

The third stage features a belvedere room with pairs of round-arched windows on each side and stone balconies below, supported by moulded stone brackets. The windows are divided by a shaft and have plate-glass sashes, with a pieced balustrade on the balconies. The top stage, which contains tanks, has a corbel table and large keyed roundels on each side in square moulded stone surrounds. These roundels feature a pierced stone monogram of Charles, the 3rd Marquis of Northampton, and his wife Theodosia.

The turret has a pierced parapet, while the lower section features a lettered parapet with the date 1865 on the courtyard side and the family motto "NISI DOMINUS" on the other sides. A single-storey link connects the tower to the single-storey wings flanking the court on the west side of Castle Ashby. The Water Tower is the tallest building in the Castle Ashby complex and serves as a notable landmark.