Last Saturday was the first time we had walked around Knypersley Reservoir, so we were both surprised and delighted to stumble across this wonderful old stone tower in the woods. I felt as though I had stumbled into a children's book! An abandoned stone tower in the middle of a wood...why, anything might happen! I was completely captivated by this tower and determined to find out more about it.
Knypersley Tower, also called Warder's Tower, was built as a gamekeeper's cottage in 1828 by the landowner of the time, John Bateman. Although it was occupied until the 1950s, this beautiful Grade II listed building is now on English Heritage's Buildings At Risk Register. Vandals have attacked the parapet stones, the roof leaks, the floors are rotten and ivy is damaging the masonry.
The Landmark Trust raised half the funds needed to restore the tower, but unfortunately their renovation plans were thwarted by the discovery that several species of bat use the tower as a maternity roost. As all bats and their roosts are protected by law, this beautiful old building will be left to decay. It really upsets me that such a beautiful part of history will gradually be lost because a few flying mammals have infested it. Such a terrible shame!
1 comment:
Totally agree get rid of the bats
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