The tower is 140ft high and has seven storeys. It was built in 1726 by Humphrey Sturt the Elder who intended to use it as an observatory. However he is supposed to have tired of star gazing and used it instead to watch deer on Cranborne Chase. Today there are no floors and it has lost its original domed roof and spire.
The interior featured in the film of Thomas Hardy's novel Far From The Madding Crowd for the cockfighting sequence. The tower is currently used by Vodaphone to house a number of mobile phone transmitters.
Parking is available at the layby at N 50° 51.689 W 001° 57.682 (SU028069). The round trip from here is one mile. If you approach from Horton the layby is just in front of the CHALBURY COMMON sign. The bridlepath to the tower starts on a private road opposite the HORTON sign. Click here for a map.
This is an offset cache. The above coordinates are for a sign near the tower containing a phone number 01abc defg50. Using this information the cache is at N 50° 51.4(b+c)(a+b) W 001° 5d.(f+g)eg.
The cache is a 2.4 litre tupperware box and was last restocked on 13 October 2007. Don't feel obliged to take anything but please leave something of similar value if you do. All our trade items are new and cost around £1 each.
