Wainhouse Tower is a folly in the parish of King Cross, on the south-west side of Halifax, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, in England. At 275 feet, it is the tallest structure in Calderdale and the tallest folly in the world, and was erected between 1871 and 1875.
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This was originally going to be a chimney for a mill owned by John Edward Wainhouse. He wanted to build a tall chimney to disperse the fumes high in the sky to make the air over Halifax cleaner. He sold the mill before the chimney was finished and the new owner refused to pay for it to be finished. So Wainhouse paid himself to finish it and then built a folly on top. There also is a story he did it to purely annoy his land owning neighbour. His neighbour boasted how private and secure his estate was. So Wainhouse built the tower so he could sit at the top and watch his neighbour and wind him up. The mill is long gone. The chimney is now owned by Calderdale Council. They open it on some bank holidays. The entrance is just pass Enterprise Car Rental, opposite the fire station. There is on street parking only and it can get busy. There is nothing much around it. Regular buses stop at King Cross about 5-10 mins walk away. At King Cross is also a large council car park, shops and takeaways. Due to disability I have never been up but it is an amazing landmark. At night the folly is lit up. It is always nice to see as you come off the M62 at Ainley Top, down the Calder Way and know you are...
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Tall tower (around 400 steps) with ornate stonework at top with good views. Staircase is a quite narrow but not tight spiral and has ledges at window openings where you can take a rest (some with small stone seats).
Balcony at the top is quite spacious for most of the perimeter with space away from the edge.
Only open a few days a year (bank holidays in spring and summer and Father's day this year). There are a couple of higher smaller levels that are out of bounds, one by a further staircase and the top coronet by ladder.
The outside structure is attractively...
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It's a great monument that is worth a visit and learn about its history! The lovely volunteers are friendly and welcoming 🙏 especially Ms. Charlotte gave us some suggestions and pointed out some iconic surrounding area to visit! It's amazing to see that 👏 some effort put in to promote the Calderdale area. We truly enjoyed the 369 steps up the 77 meter tower. The panoramic view is gorgeous 😍 😍 definitely worth visiting if you are in the area. Check their website for opening days and time, then buy tickets online prior...
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