Located on the outskirts of Piltown, County Kilkenny, this early 19th century octagonal neo-gothic tower was erected by the third Earl of Bessborough as a monument to his second son Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby who was presumed to have been killed in battle during the Napoleonic Wars. The story is told that work began c.1810 when the young man was reported dead while participating in the Peninsula Campaign. However, it seems more likely that the tower was constructed in 1815 after Ponsonby was gravely injured at the Battle of Waterloo. Among his injuries on that occasion, he was knocked off his horse and wounded in both arms, then stabbed in the back while lying on the ground, ridden over by members of the Prussian cavalry and beaten up by other soldiers looking for plunder. Somehow, he survived all this and was brought to Brussels where months of recuperation followed. Ponsonby later went on to become a Major-General and Governor of Malta. As for this building, it was left incomplete until the middle of the last century when another storey was added so that it could be used as a water tower. Today it stands marooned in the middle of a traffic roundabout.
Do you think they were inspired by the matching tower/buildings at nearby Belline which,I think belonged to the Family ?
The only thing in it’s favour is that it has a practical use and is in reasonably good condition unlike many of the monuments and mausolea that are featured here. The family seems to have been premature in building this structure before their son had died.
I am amazed that it was spared when the roundabout was constructed.
Frankly, I think the water tower use is an amazing idea for re-purposing the tower. Actually, except as to safety visuals trying to navigate the roundabout, certainly more appealing than some likely alternatives (a poorly kept green area or worse, concrete slabs).
Proper order – the Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon/Rangoon, one of the most historic and venerated buildings in Burma/Myanmar, is surrounded by a roundabout and thus elevated in importance!
Not bad for a second son! I’m told I am a descendant of Sir Frederick through my Hill grandmother. There was a column erected in his memory, of which only the rather handsome plinth remains, in Hastings Gardens, Valletta.
The Ponsonby Tower must be Piltown’s answer to London’s Marble Arch. At least a lot of people will see it (and hopefully not crash into it).