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Overview
Property details
Beckford’s Tower was designed by eccentric connoisseur and collector William Beckford as his museum and treasure house, its main interiors as dramatic as the objects they housed. Perched above Bath, there are fine views of the city from the gilded belvedere tower.
"The finest prospect in Europe"
William Beckford came to Bath in 1825 towards the end of his scandalous life, and built this tower as a retreat from the world. Beckford was highly cultured and immensely rich. He inherited his father’s wealth when he was just ten years old, which came from the exploitation of enslaved labour on the family’s plantations in Jamaica and funded Beckford’s lavish lifestyle. This Landmark recreates the layout and something of the flavour of his extravagant interiors, especially his Scarlet Drawing Room. When you stay here, like him you can climb the fine spiral staircase to the 'Belvedere' just below the elaborate, gilded lantern triumphantly restored in 2024 by the Bath Preservation Trust. Here you can enjoy, all to yourselves, what Beckford called 'the finest prospect in Europe.'
A re-discovered ‘grotto’
Each morning, accompanied by his attendant and a pack of spaniels, the now-reclusive Beckford would ride up Lansdown Road to his tower, passing through a tunnel or grotto to enjoy his treasures in its opulent rooms. Today, it’s a half hour walk down the hill (or a quicker bus ride) to the centre of Bath with all its attractions.
Photos 1 and 11 courtesy of Casper Farrell / Bath Preservation Trust
What this property offers
Floor plan
Things to do nearby
Standing on Lansdown Hill above Bath, Beckford’s Tower is just over one mile downhill from the centre of the wonderful World Heritage city of Bath, with its wealth of museums and galleries, historic buildings, parks and gardens, restaurants, cafes and elegant shops - plenty of entertainment to suit all tastes.
The ancient Roman Baths are certainly not to be missed. In the summer months, the Baths are open until the evening, a truly magical experience in this remarkable building. Experience the natural thermal waters for yourself by taking a dip at the Thermae Bath Spa, whilst enjoying spectacular rooftop views of the city at the same time.
Take a stroll along The Royal Crescent and The Circus to absorb the historic atmosphere of two of Bath's famous landmarks, built between 1767 and 1775 and designed by John Wood, the Younger.
You're ideally based to explore all of Bath's wonderful museums, including Beckford's Tower Museum (directly below the Landmark), the Museum of East Asian Art and the Fashion Museum. For more information and ideas of things to do during your stay at Beckford's Tower, please see our Pinterest Map
Lunch or afternoon tea at the Pump Room is a real treat. Look out for special offers alongside spa treatments at the baths for a truly indulgent experience.
To find some of the best places to eat, take a look at the Best restaurants in Bath. We have teamed up with The Good Food Guide to offer Landmarkers 6 months membership for £1, providing exclusive benefits and rewards at many of the restaurants listed. Ts&Cs apply.
Please Note: The Landmark Trust does not take any responsibility and makes no warranties, representations or undertakings about the content of any website accessed by hypertext link. Links should not be taken as an endorsement of any kind. The Landmark Trust has no control over the availability of the linked pages.
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Clear directionsPlease note, these directions should be used as a guide only. Full directions will be sent with your booking confirmation letter.
Essential information
What you need to know about this building
Does the property allow dogs?
No.
How is the property accessed?
Directly from the main road.
What is the nearest railway station and how far away is it?
Bath Spa – 2 miles
Is there car parking specifically for Landmark guests?
There is parking for one car on the forecourt in front of the tower. The other spaces on the forecourt are reserved for use by the Museum. The entrance lodge is privately owned and the area adjoining is reserved for their cars. There is further parking at Lansdown Park and Ride, approximately 0.5 miles from Beckford's Tower, this is chargeable if you are not riding the bus. Information can be found at https://travelwest.info/park-ride/lansdown-park-ride/.
What type of heating does the property have?
There is central heating.
What is the mobile signal like?
To check up-to-date mobile network coverage in the area, visit signalchecker.co.uk.* Due to the location and structure of many of our buildings, signal strength may differ to those indicated.
Is there WiFi in your buildings?
The majority of properties do not offer WiFi but many now have mobile coverage. Facilities in some properties rely on WiFi to function and we are currently piloting guest use of WiFi at a few of our buildings. We are going to extend the pilot across more properties and review customer feedback in 2025.
What are the kitchen facilities?
The kitchen is fully equipped with all plates, cutlery, fridge etc.
There is also an electric cooker.
What are the bathroom facilities?
There is one bathroom with a shower over the bath.
Does this Landmark have steep, narrow or spiral stairs?
The stairs are steep, narrow and spiral.
Is there a garden or outside space?
There is an enclosed garden. Please note that although the garden is enclosed we cannot guarantee that it is secure for dogs.
Booking and payment
What happens if I can’t get to the Landmark due to bad weather?
If the weather is bad, please contact our booking office who will be able to tell you whether the Landmark is accessible. If the housekeeper can safely get to the building to prepare it then we consider that it is open and available for guests. However if we cannot undertake a changeover then we will do our utmost to transfer your stay to another Landmark, depending on what we have available. It may not be of a similar size or in the same part of the country as your original booking. If the building is accessible but the customer cannot travel due to poor weather in his/her local area then please be aware that Landmark will not provide a refund. However the customer may be able to claim on his/her own travel insurance. We recommend that all guests take out travel insurance when they first secure a booking.
How can I pay?
We accept Maestro (if issued in the UK), Visa, MasterCard, direct transfer and sterling cheques drawn on a UK bank. Cheques should be made payable to the Landmark Trust except for Lundy stays and boat/helicopter tickets which should be payable to The Lundy Company Ltd. All payments must be in sterling.
How do I pick up the key?
The key arrangements will be included in the Further Infomation document which will be sent to you prior to your stay.
Can I pay a deposit?
If your stay starts more than two months from the date you make the booking, you are required to pay a deposit of one third of the cost of your stay (or £100 per booking, if greater) at the time of booking. Camping on Lundy and The Bunk House at Llwyn Celyn must be paid for in full at the time of booking.
How can I cancel or change my booking?
If you wish to cancel or change your booking, please contact our Booking Office on 01628 825925
Do you accept payment in other currencies?
At the moment we only accept payment in sterling.
What if I arrive late?
Our housekeeper will leave the key in a suitable place, the details of which will be sent to you prior to your stay.
How far in advance do I need to book?
It depends. Some of our most popular Landmarks are booked up a long time in advance, but many can be booked at short notice. We will always have Landmarks free for the coming weekend so it’s always worth checking our availability list.
Do you have to be a member to book a Landmark?
No, Landmarks are available to be booked for anyone.
Do I need a Handbook to be able to book?
No, all the information you need can be found on our website, although we’d like you to buy one anyway as it will be a pleasure to own!
Staying at a Landmark
Are Landmarks accessible for people with disabilities or limited mobility?
Some of our Landmarks are suitable for people with disabilities or limited mobility. However, many Landmarks have steep or narrow staircases, uneven floors and thresholds, changes of level, low ceilings or beams, as well as indistinct colours on steps and in corridors. We recommend that you call Booking Enquiries on 01628 825925 if you would like to find out the suitability of a particular Landmark for anyone with a specific disability. Further information on access when visiting Lundy can also be found here.
Are Landmarks only available as self-catering accommodation?
Yes, Landmarks are only available as self-catering accommodation. We do not offer bed and breakfast
Do you provide catering?
Landmark does not provide catering, but we can recommend Greycoat Lumleys who can arrange for expert and well-trained staff to cater for one evening or for your entire holiday. Their cooks and chefs are able to work with you to meet your specific requirements
Do you allow dogs?
You may bring up to two dogs to properties where dogs are allowed (please see specific property details for exemptions however dogs are not permitted on Lundy except assistance dogs). They must be kept off the furniture and under proper control. A charge of £20 per stay is made for each dog. Please contact booking enquiries if a registered assistance dog is supporting one of the guests, for which there is no charge.
Can I bring a pet?
Apart from two dogs (see above) no other pets are permitted.
What time can I arrive and what time do I have to depart from the Landmark?
Arrival is from 4pm and departure is by 10am.
Am I insured if I break something?
We do not carry insurance for breakages. However we appreciate that accidents do sometimes happen. If you have a breakage during your stay, please let the housekeeper know and if appropriate we reserve the right to invoice you accordingly.
Are Landmarks suitable for children?
Yes, most of our Landmarks are perfect for children, with gardens to play in and secret places to discover. Our furniture is surprisingly robust and we positively encourage families to stay. However, some of our buildings may not be suitable for small children; for example, some of them have steep or uneven spiral staircases. We recommend that you call the Booking Enquiries team if you would like to find out the suitability of any of our Landmarks for young children.
Can I get married in a Landmark?
Unfortunately, most of our Landmarks are not licensed for weddings. However, you may get married on Lundy.
Can I hold a big party in a Landmark?
All our larger Landmarks are perfect for gatherings of family or friends. You may invite an additional two guests to visit you during your stay, however they must not stay overnight. This is very important because our fire regulations specifically note the maximum number of people in any one building. In addition our properties are prepared, furnished and equipped for the number of people specified and greater numbers cause damage and excessive wear and tear to vulnerable buildings. Should this condition be ignored we shall make a retrospective charge per person per day (whether or not they stay overnight) for each guest over the permitted limit, the charge being pro-rated on the total cost of your booking.
Are there televisions in the buildings?
We deliberately do not provide televisions and find that most people appreciate this.
Why are your access tracks sometimes difficult?
One of the challenges of restoring unloved buildings is gaining access to them. We frequently have to negotiate rights with our neighbours and share tracks with them. In many cases tracks do not belong to us and we have no right to maintain them. Wherever possible we work with our neighbours to provide you with a good quality surface, but where this is a problem then you will be warned at the time of booking.
Will there be sockets for my electrical appliances?
Yes, we have standard electricity sockets for UK appliances. If you are coming from outside the UK, you will need to bring your own adaptor plug(s). If you are visiting one of our European properties we have standard European electricity sockets. If you are visiting from the UK, you will need to bring your own adapter plug (s).
Can I charge my electric vehicle at the Landmark?
Landmark’s electrical systems have not been designed to provide continuous power from one socket over several hours. If an ordinary socket is used to charge an electric vehicle, there is significant risk of an electrical fire and consequent danger to life. Therefore, we are unable to allow electric vehicle charging from most of our Landmarks at present.
We are working to provide Type 2 Electric Vehicle charge points at our properties where there is private parking. Where this is available, please request this facility when booking the property to ensure the outlet is enabled on your arrival. There is a small charge to cover the cost of electricity provided. Please book this facility in advance.
Do you allow smoking in a Landmark?
No, we do not allow smoking in any Landmark.
Facilities
Are the kitchens and bathrooms restored to a modern standard?
Sometimes our kitchens and bathrooms have to be imaginatively fitted into the available space in buildings where before there were none, but they are all planned and equipped to a high and modern standard.
Is linen provided?
Yes, Landmarks are fully equipped with sheets and towels. All the beds are fully made up for your arrival. Except for the Llwyn Celyn Bunkhouse.
Are the kitchens fully equipped?
Yes, our kitchens are well equipped with cookers and fridges. There are freezers and dishwashers (in larger buildings) and, where space allows, microwaves as well as a wide and standard range of utensils. A full equipment list is available at time of booking.
Do you provide logs for the open fire/stove?
Logs are provided at many of our Landmarks for an additional cost.
Will there be a mobile signal in the Landmark I book?
Mobile coverage varies. Some Landmarks have an excellent signal, but others have none at all. If you are concerned, you can check with the housekeeper before your arrival.
Is there Wi-Fi in your buildings?
No. At the moment, we have decided not to implement Wi-Fi in our buildings following a consultation with our customers. Many said that they would find it useful, but many also felt that it would somehow damage the experience of staying in a Landmark. As the responses were so split, and as we have so many other initiatives requiring funding, we have decided to put this on hold for the time being.
Except at Llwyn Celyn Bunk House where a password is available in the property when you arrive.
What should I bring with me? Are there toilet rolls, soap, shampoo, milk, teabags, coffee, hairdryer?
A welcome tray with tea and sugar awaits your arrival and you will find a pint of milk in the fridge. We also provide toilet rolls and a bar of soap per basin, but no other toiletries. Hairdryers are provided.
Do you have other questions?
Our Booking Enquiries team can help with information about each building.
History & restoration
A daily destination for William Beckford
Beckford’s Tower was built between 1825 and 1827 by William Beckford (1760-1844) to designs drawn up by H.E. Goodridge. It was built by Beckford as a daily retreat from his main house, No. 20 Lansdown Crescent. He would retire to the sumptuously furnished Tower to read, appreciate his many fine objects and paintings, and contemplate the view from his belvedere.
Beckford himself was a fascinating figure who still attracts much interest and scholarship. His immense wealth brought him great privilege and power over the lives of others, a power that he abused. He was a brilliant and precocious only child, born to immense, if nouveau, wealth deriving from his family's exploitation of enslaved labour on sugar plantations in Jamaica.
Perhaps overprotected by his mother after his father’s early death, he was educated mostly at home and was sent abroad to finish his education in Geneva. This was the first of many European tours that were to encourage his eclectic cultural tastes and make him disinclined to take up the role in English politics which his mother had planned for him.
Beckford was a lively and colourful character, fond of music, the arts and, somewhat vicariously, religion and its trappings. Attractive to both sexes, it was clear early on that his preferences lay with his own. In 1779, aged 19, he developed an abusive attachment with 11-year-old William Courtenay, a relationship which developed over the next five years. In 1783, he married Lady Margaret Gordon, but this did not prevent the so-called Powderham Castle Scandal the following year, when his relationship with Courtenay was discovered. Sex between men was a capital offence at the time; Beckford fled from England into exile with his wife. The marriage was a happy one despite all, and they had two daughters before Margaret died in 1786. Beckford was ostracised by English society for the Courtenay matter for a decade or more, from which he never really recovered. He was now resolutely fixed upon relationships with his own sex and this reinforced his increasing tendency towards reclusion. Beckford knew that his own liberal attitudes and refined tastes were not those of his social peers, or ‘the Worldlings’ as he called them. A prolific writer, he published a novel, Vathek, and various travel and other works during his lifetime.
He is best known as the builder of Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire between 1796 and 1813, an extravagant Gothic fantasy based on mediaeval monastic buildings. Its central tower was close to three hundred feet high. It was designed by James Wyatt and was a hugely important building in its day. However, Beckford found he did not enjoy living in it and was heavily in debt. He sold it in 1822 to an aged gunpowder millionaire and moved to Bath. The central tower at the Abbey collapsed in 1825; only a fragment remains today.
The Tower that Beckford built in Bath is an important example of Picturesque architecture, a movement characterised by its eclectic combination of styles. The Tower and its accommodation block combine Greek Revival architecture and what became known as the Italian Villa Style. The blocking of the accommodation block mimics Tuscan vernacular architecture, from which a watchtower often sprang. Beckford’s and Goodridge’s innovation was in including classical Greek references to that tower. In its liveliness of style and integration to its natural surroundings, the Tower was one of the first examples of the Picturesque style in post-Georgian Bath.
Certainly there are similarities between the soaring shaft and almost top heavy belvedere of Beckford’s Tower and a Tuscan campanile. The square shaft of the tower rises as some 130 feet of plain masonry, relieved only by small windows to the spiral staircase it encloses. The tower then bursts out into an exuberant expression of Greek references, offering an unrivalled view of the city below.
For a short history of Beckford's Tower please click here.
To read the full history album for Beckford's Tower please click here.
The Tower is 154 feet high
Beckford built his tower 1825-27, paid for by his ownership of plantations worked by enslaved people. Its Lantern is thought to have been inspired by the Tower of Winds (an appropriate reference in this exposed spot) and the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, both in Athens. Their use as sources for Greek Revival work was not new, but it was their use together that was new and daring. Only three earlier examples are known, and these were all in London churches.
The accommodation block at the base provided the Tuscan villa reference, with its impression of low massing, flats roofs, small paired semi-circular windows and pierced parapets. The entrance porch presents a loggia in miniature, three semi-circular headed arches with heavy imposts. The freestanding arch on the roof of the villa block cleverly turns the chimneys into an integrated folly. Originally, the windows were all plate glass (then considered a wonder) and covered by gilded cast iron grilles, which lent a touch of the Byzantine. Some of these were reinstated as part of the Bath Preservation Trust’s 2024 restoration, providing the shaded conditions necessary for the display of fine objects and art in this private museum.
After Beckford’s death in 1844, his daughter gave Beckford’s Tower and grounds to Walcot Parish for a funerary chapel and cemetery. The Tower itself grew increasingly dilapidated and in 1931 was seriously damaged by fire. Repaired and altered at this stage, the Tower remained a chapel until 1970, when the Church deconsecrated it and declared the cemetery redundant. The Tower was converted into residential accommodation in 1972. In 1977 the Beckford Tower Trust was formed and a major repair programme followed in 1997. In 2000, the Landmark Trust took a long lease on the rooms in the ground floor of the accommodation block.
In Beckford’s time, the display rooms were richly decorated, their appearance in captured in lithographs by H.E. Goodridge. Because such detailed and reliable evidence survived, Landmark took the decision to reinstate the rich finishes in the vestibule (today’s kitchen) and the Scarlet Drawing Room to an appearance that Beckford himself would recognise. The painted coffered ceiling was recreated and silk moiré hung on the walls. A plywood replica was made of the fine marble console, and this and the chimneypiece were skilfully marbled using traditional paint techniques.
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Availability & booking
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A changeover day is a particular day of the week when holidays start and end at our properties. These tend to be on a Friday or a Monday but can sometimes vary. All stays run from one changeover day until another changeover day.