Buckle's Tower
  Shown within Orkney Islands | |
| Alternative name | Buckle's Too'er |
|---|---|
| Location | Firth, Mainland, Orkney, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 59°00′09″N 3°08′15″W / 59.002394°N 3.137560°W |
| Type | Folly |
| History | |
| Builder | William Buckle |
| Founded | 1870s |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | Yes |
Buckle's Tower (locally Buckle's Too'er) is a historic stone-built tower upon the Hill of Heddle in Firth, Orkney.[1] The tower was originally built sometime during the 1870s by a local shepherd boy named William Buckle who watched the sheep on the Hill of Heddle.[2]
History
[edit]William Buckle was a boy who lived in the village of Finstown, Orkney during the late 19th century, and around the age of 13 he was employed by the local farmer at Binscarth to watch over livestock on the Hill of Heddle.[3] Watching livestock graze proved to be a tedious occupation for Buckle, and in his spare time he began constructing a stone tower, using drystone from the nearby quarry.[4] Buckle left some stones jutting out of the tower to act as steps he used to climb the tower as it got taller, eventually breaking them off once the tower was complete. Buckle's Tower in later years was used as a sightline by sailors coming into the Bay of Firth.[3]
Nearby, stands Wilson's Tower; a smaller, more recent stone tower closely resembling Buckle's Tower, built by James Wilson of Lavendale to celebrate the new millennium. Wilson began construction of his folly in 1999 and placed the final stone on the tower on 1 January 2000.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Buckle's Tower". Orkney Communities.
- ^ "The Rise and Fall of Buckle's Tower" (PDF). Orkney Heritage Society.
- ^ a b c "Buckle's Tower". Orkneyology.
- ^ "Hidden Gems of Orkney: Buckle's Tower". NorthLink Ferries.
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