Viewpoints · Scottish Lowlands
Observation Tower
Observation Tower is a viewpoint in the United Kingdom.
Trevor Littlewood — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 20 min–45 min
- Best time of year
- Clear days year-round
- Nearest railway station
- Witton-le-Wear · 1.0 km
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Observation Tower is a named viewpoint in the Scottish Lowlands, marked on Ordnance Survey maps for its outlook. The site is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. It sits within the Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency. The nearest railway station is Witton-le-Wear, about 1.0 km away. Postcode area DL14.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Witton-le-Wear SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least 20 metres (66 ft) tall and are made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches. The towers first appeared in the ancient world, as long ago as the Babylonian Empire. Observation towers that are used as guard posts or observation posts over an extended period to overlook an area are commonly called watchtowers instead. Similar instances of observation towers are recognised as crow's nests, observatories, viewing platforms, etc.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
Observation towers are an easily visible sight on the countryside, as they must rise over trees and other obstacles to ensure clear vision. Older control rooms have often been likened to medieval chambers. The heavy use of stone, iron, and wood in their construction helps to create this illusion. Modern towers frequently have observation decks or terraces with restaurants or on the roof of mountain stations of an aerial ropeway. Frequently observation towers are used also as location of radio services within the UHF/VHF range (FM sound broadcasting, TV, public rural broadcasting service, and portable radio service). In some cases this usage of the tower is at least as important as its use…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.6779, -1.7518
- District
- County Durham
- Parish
- Witton-le-Wear
- Postcode
- DL14 0AG
- Parliamentary constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Nearest railway station
- Witton-le-Wear — 1 km
- Official site
- durhamwt.com
Sources
- osm: n9837262351 (ODbL)
- wikipedia: Observation tower (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Observation Tower?
- Observation Tower is in the Scottish Lowlands, United Kingdom (postcode DL14 0AG), in the parish of Witton-le-Wear.
- Is Observation Tower a protected site?
- Yes — Observation Tower is part of the Witton-le-Wear SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- Is Observation Tower free to visit?
- Yes, Observation Tower is free to enter.
- How do I get to Observation Tower?
- The nearest railway station is Witton-le-Wear, about 1.0 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode DL14 0AG.