THE 21ST-CENTURY TOWER

In 1949, the Tower and land came up for sale after the National Trust had declined to accept it as a gift. The Hon. Anthony Wills, subsequently Lord Dulverton, purchased the Middle Hill estate, and thus the Tower itself. A few years later, as leisure pursuits increased in importance, it was decided to create a country park with Broadway Tower as its centrepiece.

The Tower itself was substantially restored, and a second turret staircase installed for the convenience of visitors. Some further landscaping was undertaken, including the removal of Rookery Barn (now the café) up the hill from its original site, closer to the Tower and Tower Barn. With an exhibition, nature trails, and picnic and parking places, the Broadway Tower Country Park was opened to the public in July 1974.

And then, once again, the park and Tower changed hands. In 1980 the Middle Hill estate was sold. On this occasion, the Tower was saved by the Will family – in a loving gesture redolent of the original story of the 6th Earl’s love token for his wife. At the public auction in Broadway was Hans-Eugen Will, entrepreneur and passionate aviator, who was determined to buy the Tower as a token of affection for his wife, Renate, who had fallen in love with the building years before.

And so the story comes full circle. Both Hans-Eugen and Renate cared deeply for the future of the estate and were instrumental in developing the Tower and its surroundings as a destination for visitors. Hans-Eugen’s firm belief was that salvation for the building lay in sharing it with the public and thus raising the much-needed funds to ensure its future. Like any old building, the Tower requires constant care and maintenance. In this case, in its exposed location, there is constant deter Save ioration from the battering it receives from the elements; extensive renovations periodically need to be carried out – and the owners continue to shoulder the full responsibility of costly but essential work to preserve this precious landmark for another two centuries.

Today Hans-Eugen’s and Renate’s daughter, Annette, continues with her family to pursue her parents’ vision, and to tell the story of what has romantically been called ‘the highest little castle in the Cotswolds’.