Where is Chilton Priory?

Chilton Priory is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode TA7 9DH), in the parish of Chilton Polden.

How do I get to Chilton Priory?

The nearest railway station is Bridgwater, about 6.9 km away. Drivers can use postcode TA7 9DH.

Who owns Chilton Priory?

Chilton Priory is owned by | current_tenants =.

Is Chilton Priory a protected site?

Yes — Chilton Priory is part of the SOMERSET WETLANDS National Nature Reserve.

Is Chilton Priory free to visit?

Yes, Chilton Priory is free to enter.

How do I get to Chilton Priory?

The nearest railway station is Bridgwater, about 6.9 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode TA7 9DH.

Follies · South West England

Chilton Priory

In or near Stawell.

Free admission🐾 Dog-friendly

Chilton Priory — Folly or eyecatcher.

Chilton Priory, follies in South West England — Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit: 20 min–45 min
Nearest railway station: Bridgwater · 6.9 km

Free entry
Dog-friendly

Getting there & planning your visit

To visit Chilton Priory, the nearest railway station is Bridgwater, located 6.9 km away. Entry to the site is free, and the postcode for sat-nav is TA7 9DH.

Directions on Google Maps →

Chilton Priory is a folly — a piece of decorative architecture built more for the view than any practical purpose — in the United Kingdom. Wikidata describes it as: "Folly or eyecatcher.". Coordinates: 51.1462°, -2.8963°.

Photo gallery

See it from the streetimagery from 2026

Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0

Protected designations

National Nature Reserve: SOMERSET WETLANDS

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Chilton Priory (ST373389) (sometimes Stradling's Tower) is a Grade II listed folly, later extended to become a country house prominently located on Polden Hill, overlooking Bath Road, close to Chilton Polden, Parish of Polden Wheel, Somerset. The tower was erected in 1838 for William Stradling, deputy lieutenant of Somerset and a descendant of the local Stradling family who date back to the fourteenth century. The building commands extensive views over Somerset, including Glastonbury Tor. The first Ordnance Survey in 1886 recorded the tower and pleasure grounds as 'Chilton Priory (Museum).'

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

Description

Stradling refers to it as the 'Priory of Chilton-Super-Polden in his book of 1839. Built as a landmark, it was also designed to be functional. The folly is a three-storey tower containing the Charles and Victoria rooms, with an observatory, nave, refectory, oratory and a crypt below, with a wing at the rear was built in 1838, probably by the architect William Halliday, for the antique and art collector William Stradling to house his acquisitions. A plaque recording the name 'G. Dowden 1836' is set atop the tower above the doorway. Stradling did not live at Chilton Priory, his abode was at Roseville, now The Towers House in the village, located within a small park with a grotto, bridge and…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates: 51.1462, -2.8963
District: Somerset
Parish: Chilton Polden
Postcode: TA7 9DH
Parliamentary constituency: Wells and Mendip Hills
Nearest railway station: Bridgwater — 6.9 km

Sources

osm: w559768294 (ODbL)
wikipedia: Chilton Priory (CC BY-SA 4.0)
commons: 17th century door, Chilton Priory, Chilton Polden, Somerset.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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