Development grants awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Historic England are also enabling Bath Preservation Trust to repair and conserve the tower, and to re-examine the way in which they share the story of William Beckford’s links to the transatlantic slave trade.
Alex Sherman, CEO of Bath Preservation Trust explains: “Opening up the Grotto tunnel for visitors to enjoy is one of the key objectives for the ‘Our Tower’ project. While the east end of the tunnel has been blocked by development, our intention is re-open this space, for the first time in perhaps 60 years, reinstating the steps from which one would have first caught sight of the tower.”
Here are some great ways to play and learn at home or in the classroom inspired by Beckford and his collections
Activities for 2022 coming soon
We re-open in March 2022 and look forward to seeing you then.
If you would like to learn more about Our Tower then click here for our latest newsletter.
Built between 1826 and 1827, Beckford’s Tower is an extraordinary building that was once home to one of the greatest collections of books, furniture and art in Georgian England and now stands as the only surviving example of William Beckford’s great architectural achievements.
William Beckford’s ability to build, and to collect, was made possible by the wealth he inherited and continued to accumulate as an owner of Jamaican sugar plantations and enslaved people, and through the compensation he received from the government following the abolition of slavery. This aspect of his life is explored within our museum displays and you can read more about it here.
Thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, plans to conserve and re-interpret the Tower and its landscape setting are being developed. Bath Preservation Trust owns and operates Beckford’s Tower and must also raise a considerable amount to fund this project – called ‘Our Tower’. You can read more about it here.
COVID-19 has had an inevitable impact on our development plans, but we are have now recruited our project team and are making good progress as you can read in our latest newsletter here.
We are currently closed to the public but will be re-opening in March 2022 for weekend visits.
If you are looking for somewhere for a small and exclusive wedding? Beckford’s Tower could be the location for you. Get in touch if you would like to find out more.
October 19th 2021 saw the gathering of Bath Preservation Trust Members, Trustees and Staff come together at Prior Park College in Bath to reflect on 2020 and look at what lies ahead for BPT and our Museums. For more information on becoming a member take a look at the BPT website.
We were introduced to this powerful piece of filming this week and wanted to share it. In particular, there is a very powerful video created by a group called ‘Boys in Mind’ from Bath, that is worth watching. These have been co-produced by young people, mainly boys and young men. They are currently working with 4 secondary schools…
