Scrabo Tower

Scrabo Tower is located to the west of Newtownards in County Down, Northern Ireland. The turreted tower is a noted landmark and stands above sea level and is high.HistoryThe landmark, which is visible from most of north Down, was built above Newtownards in 1857 as a memorial to Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry who was one of the Duke of Wellington's generals during the Napoleonic Wars. The 3rd Marquess, or "Fighting Charlie" as he was also known, inherited the title and family seat of Mount Stewart after his brother, the 2nd Marquess, committed suicide. The 2nd Marquis is better known as Viscount Castlereagh, the politician who served a term as Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.The tower was built to designs attributed to Charles Lanyon and WH Lynn, and now stands in a country park.TodayThe tower houses two floors of displays, with access to a viewing level via a climb of 122 steps. In April 2014, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency said that the tower had suffered "serious water ingress", which had damaged the electricity supply, and citing concerns for visitor safety, advised that the tower would close to visitors. By 2015, the tower opened occasionally, and by July 2017 was fully reopened to the public.