Chesterton Tower

Chesterton Tower stands in Chapel Street, Chesterton, a village now part of Cambridge. The two-storey tower was built in the 14th century from field stones, clunch, brick and ashlar quoins. It was the home of Italian procurators who worked for the abbot of Vercelli in Italy. The tower sits in the former vicarage garden of St Andrew’s Church nearby. Unlike many medieval ruins, it is a complete dwelling with vaulted ceilings, a spiral staircase and a garderobe. The tower’s history begins in 1217 when Henry III gave the church to Cardinal Guala. The cardinal later passed the buildings to the abbey at Vercelli. A procurator, likely a canon from the abbey, lived in the tower to represent the foreign owners. By 1440 Henry VI transferred the buildings to King’s Hall, which later became Trinity College. The tower survives as a rare example of a mid-14th-century dwelling. Inside, visitors find vaulted ceilings on the lower storey divided into two bays with chamfered ribs and carved bosses. A spiral staircase leads between floors, and the garderobe is still in place. The tower’s stonework shows the careful craftsmanship of the period. Its restoration in 1949 preserved these features for today’s visitors. The small but complete building offers a quiet glimpse into medieval domestic life.