Racton Monument
Encyclopedia
Racton Monument is a folly
situated on a hill in Racton
, West Sussex
, England. It was commissioned by the 2nd Earl of Halifax
, possibly as a summerhouse for the nearby Stansted Estate
, though an alternative theory suggests it could have been constructed so the Earl could watch his merchant ships dock at the nearby port village of Emsworth
.
It was designed by architect Theodosius Keene, son of Henry Keene
, and constructed between 1766 and 1775. It was designed with a triangular base, with a round turret at each angle. Of a red brick construction, the building was originally faced with flints and stood four storeys high (80 feet (24.4 m)), a height it retains to this day. However, it has been abandoned for over a century and is in a state of ruin, with much of the original flint facing having disappeared, its floors having disappeared and its roof having caved in. Furthermore the walls are adorned with graffiti, with the building sometimes being used for illicit behaviour such as drug use.
It is owned by a private owner who has planning permission to turn the monument into a dwelling, though these plans are yet to materialise. Its isolated nature, being set away from populated places and major roads, has led to several of suicides at the momument, most recently in 2009. Occult
acts are known to take place on occasion there. The monument is also popular with paranormal investigators visiting to investigate reported paranormal activity at the site. Witnesses claim to have seen bricks thrown from above, heard ghostly shouts, and intrigue surrounds the myth that the folly may have been used by smugglers.
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
situated on a hill in Racton
Racton
Racton is a hamlet in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2147 road 2.1 miles northeast of Emsworth and within the civil parish of Stoughton. The hamlet lies along the River Ems. 0.4 miles north of the hamlet is the Racton Monument, constructed between 1766 and 1775...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England. It was commissioned by the 2nd Earl of Halifax
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, KG, PC was a British statesman of the Georgian era.-Early life:...
, possibly as a summerhouse for the nearby Stansted Estate
Stansted Park
Stansted Park is near the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. It lies within the parish of Stoughton, near the village of Rowland's Castle over the border in Hampshire....
, though an alternative theory suggests it could have been constructed so the Earl could watch his merchant ships dock at the nearby port village of Emsworth
Emsworth
Emsworth is a large village the south coast of England, situated on the Hampshire side of the border between Hampshire and West Sussex. The village lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large but shallow inlet of the English Channel....
.
It was designed by architect Theodosius Keene, son of Henry Keene
Henry Keene
Henry Keene was an English architect, notable for designing buildings in the Gothic Revival and Neoclassical style.- Life and work :...
, and constructed between 1766 and 1775. It was designed with a triangular base, with a round turret at each angle. Of a red brick construction, the building was originally faced with flints and stood four storeys high (80 feet (24.4 m)), a height it retains to this day. However, it has been abandoned for over a century and is in a state of ruin, with much of the original flint facing having disappeared, its floors having disappeared and its roof having caved in. Furthermore the walls are adorned with graffiti, with the building sometimes being used for illicit behaviour such as drug use.
It is owned by a private owner who has planning permission to turn the monument into a dwelling, though these plans are yet to materialise. Its isolated nature, being set away from populated places and major roads, has led to several of suicides at the momument, most recently in 2009. Occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
acts are known to take place on occasion there. The monument is also popular with paranormal investigators visiting to investigate reported paranormal activity at the site. Witnesses claim to have seen bricks thrown from above, heard ghostly shouts, and intrigue surrounds the myth that the folly may have been used by smugglers.