Jubilee Tower

The Jubilee Tower stands on Darwen Hill, a 370-metre rise above the town of Darwen in Lancashire. It is an octagonal stone structure built in 1898 to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and to celebrate the community’s victory in winning public access to the moors. The tower was opened on 24 September 1898 with a large procession and speeches by local leaders. Its design came from David Ellison, an employee in the borough surveyor’s office, and was later refined by Robert William Smith-Saville. The stone was donated by the former landowner Reverend William Arthur Duckworth, who performed the opening ceremony. The tower’s construction followed eighteen years of disputes over moorland rights of way. William Thomas Ashton, a mine manager, led efforts to keep paths open despite attempts by Duckworth and his gamekeepers to block them. After protests, lawsuits and negotiations, nearly 300 acres of moorland were secured for public use in 1896. A procession of 15,000 people climbed the hill to celebrate, and the idea of building a tower was soon adopted. Over £1,500 was raised by public subscription to fund its construction. Visitors climb an internal staircase to reach the top of the tower and enjoy wide views across North Yorkshire, Morecambe Bay, Blackpool Tower and North Wales. The tower’s eastern and western pediments carry commemorative plaques listing the names of those involved in its creation. The structure has survived threats including wartime demolition proposals and storm damage in 1947, when the original wooden turret was lost. A fibreglass dome replaced it in 1971, and a stainless steel dome was installed in 2012 after strong winds tore off the previous one. Recent restoration work has secured the tower’s future for coming generations.