Manky Monkey
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« on: July 28, 2016, 05:15:32 PM » |
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O.K, not really a castle. It's a Victorian folly. A 3 sided tower hidden away in the woods at the top of Shooters Hill, South London. As a lot of these places do, it fell into disrepair over the years & was eventually closed to the public in 1986. Fortunately Shooters Hill has a very active local community though & eventually, after years of campaigning & fund raising, it was restored to it's former glory.
I was at the Detonators car club barbeque, just around the corner in Oxleas Meadow, 2 years ago & went in search of the tower as I'd spotted it on my way up the hill. By sheer chance, that very day was the grand re-opening, but typically, I arrived just as they were closing up for the day so missed the chance to climb the stairs to the roof.
So when I went back to the barbeque last weekend I was determined to take another look.
That London.
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2016, 05:19:17 PM » |
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The grounds.
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2016, 05:20:09 PM » |
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The battle the tower was named after.
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2016, 05:26:57 PM » |
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One room has been fully restored.
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #4 on: July 28, 2016, 05:31:29 PM » |
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The castle's open 3 days a week, including Sundays, when various local groups have fund raising stalls around the base. There's also a small café on the ground floor & the venue can be hired for weddings etc. Admission to the roof's £2.50 http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/ |
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« Last Edit: July 28, 2016, 05:41:16 PM by Manky Monkey »
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #5 on: July 28, 2016, 05:34:03 PM » |
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The real attraction though is the view from the roof top turret.
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2016, 05:40:43 PM » |
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Apparently on a clear day you can see 7 different counties from up here. That's Crystal Palace TV mast on the horizon & although it doesn't show in these photos as the heat haze was spreading before my eyes, you could just make out Windsor Castle to the right of the mast.
The O2 Millennium Dome. You can pay to walk across it's roof. My brother Steve did recently.
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2016, 05:42:08 PM » |
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2016, 05:51:46 PM » |
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From left to right you can see The Shard, The Post Office Tower, St Paul's Cathedral & the Gherkin.
An interesting little diversion from my day's activities. Glad I made the effort to go & find it.
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