Wainhouse Tower

Wainhouse Tower is a folly in the parish of King Cross, on the south west side of Halifax, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, in England. At 275ft, it is the tallest structure in Calderdale and the tallest folly in the world, and was erected in the four years between 1871 and 1875. The main shaft is octagonal in shape and it has a square base and 403 steps leading to the first of two viewing platforms. The tower is open to the public during bank holidays, and is a Grade II* listed building.HistoryOne driving force behind the erection of the viewing platforms was a long-standing feud between landowning neighbours John Edward Wainhouse and Sir Henry Edwards . Edwards had boasted that he had the most private estate in Halifax, into which no one could see. As the estate was on land adjacent to the chimney's site, following the opening of the viewing platforms, Edwards could never claim privacy again.The tower was designed by architect Isaac Booth as a chimney to serve the dye works owned by Wainhouse. The height of the chimney was to satisfy the Smoke Abatement Act of 1870 which required a tall chimney to carry smoke out of the valleys in which the factories were built. A much simpler chimney would have satisfied the requirements but Wainhouse insisted that it should be an object of beauty.