|
|
 King Alfred's
Tower is at grid reference ST746351 (Ordnance Survey Explorer sheet 142).
The National Trust has provided a free car park for visitors a few hundred
metres away (grid reference ST749354). Note that there are no toilets, gift shops or refreshments
available here (although an ice-cream van often parks here at weekends and bank
holidays, and for the 2004 season bottled water is sold by the NT custodian at
the Tower). Please also be aware that unattended cars can be a target for
thieves, so you are advised to lock your car and remove any valuables.
The tower is signposted from the B3092 about 2½ miles north of
Mere. Click
here to view a map on the
Streetmap website.
There is a lay-by in the lane much nearer the tower than the
car-park, allocated for disabled visitors, with room for two cars. This
lay-by has a reasonably level grass path leading to the tower. Sadly these
disabled spaces often appear to be occupied by able-bodied visitors' cars.
(NB As at March 2003 the signs denoting disabled parking have been removed).
 The best way to approach the tower is either to take one of
the several lovely walks from Stourhead, or to park in the Alfred's Tower
visitors' car-park and walk across the lane by the car-park entrance. This
way you will approach the tower from the East, and will be able to admire the
beauty of the tower, and the statue of King Alfred set into the wall above the
door, as you approach.
Opening Times
King Alfred's Tower is closed during the winter. Whilst a visit to the tower is always
pleasant, for your first visit try to go on a clear day when the tower is open
so that you can climb the steps to the top and enjoy the views. During 2010
the tower is open from Saturday 13th March to Sunday 31st October on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between 11am and 5pm (4pm during March and October - it would be unsafe to negotiate those spiral stairs in the dark).
Last admission is 30 minutes before the tower closes. Note that dogs are not permitted in the tower, and a post for attaching a dog's
lead is provided nearby.
N.B. The National Trust sometimes alters these published times at short notice so before making travel plans to visit the Tower you
are advised to telephone the Stourhead Estate Office on 01747 841152 to confirm
the latest opening times.
Admission Charges
When the tower is open a National Trust custodian is present to take
the entrance fee and answer questions. Admittance is free of charge to NT
members; otherwise the 2010 charges are adults £2.80, children £1.40, families
£6.20. A Gift Aid scheme has been introduced in which visitors are invited to
pay an additional "voluntary donation" (30p for adults, 20p for children, and
70p for families) whereby the National Trust recovers the tax paid on the
admission charges. The Trust offers a fifty percent discount on these charges for visitors to the Tower who arrive on foot, by bicycle, or by public transport although it is unclear how they will verify this. At present the only souvenir available from the tower is a
postcard with a colour photograph of the tower.
Most of the forest surrounding King Alfred's Tower is not owned by the National Trust. Much of the surrounding woodland is part of is a Tax-Exempt Heritage Asset, which means that the owner has given an undertaking to the Inland Revenue to preserve the character
of the land and allow reasonable public access in exchange for exemption from
inheritance tax. Details of this agreement and a map of the estate may be
viewed on a web page maintained by the Inland Revenue by clicking
here. During the summer, these woods are a popular place for camping,
walking, and cycling.
|