Sturgess, J. (2021). Storm Tower, Compass Point, Bude, Historic Building Record. Cornwall Archaeological Unit. https://doi.org/10.5284/1095838. Cite this using datacite

Title
Title
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Title:		 Storm Tower, Compass Point, Bude, Historic Building Record
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Series:		 Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service unpublished report series
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cornwall2-426593_188829.pdf (6 MB) : Download
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DOI
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.5284/1095838
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Publication Type:		 Report (in Series)
Abstract
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Abstract:		 Cornwall Archaeological unit was commissioned by Donald Martin, Countryside Team Leader, Cornwall Council to carry out a historic building record of the Storm Tower at Compass Point, Bude in advance of it being dismantled and rebuilt at a new site. The tower is a Grade II Listed building which is now in danger from cliff erosion. It is located on Efford Down, just to the west of Bude on a prominent spot overlooking the sea and historic harbour at NGR: SS 20046 06343. In order to mitigate against sudden loss of the building a historic building record equivalent to a Historic England level 3 building survey was undertaken by CAU along with a full measured survey and topographical survey of the building and its surroundings undertaken by Mark Trewin of Datumline Surveys. The Storm Tower was originally built in 1835 as a coastguard lookout. It was designed by George Wightwick of Plymouth for landowner Sir Thomas Dyke Acland at a time when Bude was developed as a port, canal town and watering place. Wightwick based his octagonal design on the ancient Tower of the Winds at Athens which was the inspiration for several buildings in England in the late 18th and early 19th century. In 1881 the tower was taken down due to the threat of cliff erosion and rebuilt on a nearby spot. This tower is the one that survives today. Much of the masonry from the 1835 tower was reused to build the 1881 tower but certain changes were made with the introduction of new materials, such as perforated bricks and granite, and new design elements, such as the granite topped plinth on which it now stands. Cornwall Archaeological unit was commissioned by Donald Martin, Countryside Team Leader, Cornwall Council to carry out a historic building record of the Storm Tower at Compass Point, Bude in advance of it being dismantled and rebuilt at a new site. The tower is a Grade II Listed Building which is now in danger from cliff erosion. It is located on Efford Down, just to the west of Bude on a prominent spot overlooking the sea and historic harbour at NGR: SS 20046 06343. In order to mitigate against sudden loss of the building, a historic building record equivalent to a Historic England level 3 building survey was undertaken by CAU along with a full measured survey and topographical survey of the building and its surroundings undertaken by Mark Trewin of Datumline Surveys. The Storm Tower was originally built in 1835 as a coastguard lookout. It was designed by George Wightwick of Plymouth for landowner Sir Thomas Dyke Acland at a time when Bude was developed as a port, canal town and watering place. Wightwick based his octagonal design on the ancient Tower of the Winds at Athens which was the inspiration for several buildings in England in the late 18th and early 19th century. In 1881 the tower was taken down due to the threat of cliff erosion and rebuilt on a nearby spot. This tower is the one that survives today. Much of the masonry from the 1835 tower was reused to build the 1881 tower but certain changes were made with the introduction of new materials, such as perforated bricks and granite, and new design elements, such as the granite topped plinth on which it now stands. A total of five construction phases have been identified as a result of this study. The earliest construction phase (phase 1) dates to the 1835 when the first Storm Tower was built. Although the phase 1 building no longer survives the stone masonry from it has been used to construct the phase 2 tower. In 1881 (phase 2) the earlier tower was demolished and a new tower (the present tower) was constructed on a site slightly further inland. In phase 3 (1882) the newly built tower appears to have been vandalised and it is possible that a timber roof was destroyed and replaced with the present shuttered concrete roof.
Author
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Author:		 Jo Sturgess
Publisher
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Publisher:		 Cornwall Archaeological Unit
Year of Publication
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Year of Publication:		 2021
Locations
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Locations:
District: Cornwall
County: Cornwall
Country: England
Parish: Bude-Stratton
Grid Reference: 220045, 106342 (Easting, Northing)
Subjects / Periods
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Subjects / Periods:
BUILDING SURVEY (Event)
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OASIS Id: cornwall2-426593
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Note:		 This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.
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Created Date
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Created Date:		 07 Jul 2022