St Leonards Tower

St Leonard’s Tower stands in the centre of Newton Abbot, where Wolborough Street meets East Street and High Street. Built in the 15th century as part of a Gothic church, it is made of local Plymouth stone and rises about six metres. The tower has two storeys marked by stone string courses, with a wooden door in a granite arch on the west side. Above the door is a twin-arched window, and on the east side the outline of the old nave can still be seen in the masonry. Battlements top the structure, and each face of the upper storey has an arched window with a clock below on the east and west sides. The tower’s history includes William III’s first English proclamation in 1688, made from the nearby market cross. By 1830 it housed six bells and a clock, though services had moved to Wolborough church. In 1836 the nave was demolished to widen the road, but a local petition saved the tower, leaving it as a traffic island. It became a Grade II* listed building in 1949 and was refurbished in 1972–73 after a public appeal. Inside the tower visitors find a small space with stone walls and the original stair leading to the upper level. The clock mechanism remains in place, and the engraved stone marking William III’s proclamation stands just outside. The tower is cared for by Newton Abbot Museum and opens on selected days. From the battlements there are views along the three main streets, making it the town’s most visible landmark.