Tower power in Kent

Available from May 6, Hadlow Tower, a Grade I-listed Gothic revival folly between Tonbridge and Maidstone in Kent, will be available for private hire, sleeping six.

The tower’s history is dramatic — it was originally built by an 18th-century industrialist to keep tabs on his wife, was used as a look-out point for the Royal Observer Core during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, was saved from demolition in the early 1950s and narrowly avoided destruction by a storm in 1987. It was at risk until the Vivat Trust bought it in 2011, restoring it at a cost of £4.2 million. Now it is cleaned up, with its soaring caramel exterior jutting into the Kent skyline — the tallest folly in the UK.

The ground floor holds an exhibition detailing the history and significance of the property, which will be open to the public from the end of May until September. Interior features at the folly include a novel octagonal dining room, a bed ringed in by columns and suspended bathroom with honeyed floorboards, a wood-burning stove and stained-glass windows.