Chilton Priory (ST373389) (sometimes Stradling's Tower) is a Grade 2 listed folly, later extended to become a country house prominently located on Polden Hill, overlooking Bath Road, close to Chilton Polden, Parish of Polden Wheel, Somerset. The tower was erected in 1838 for William Stradling, deputy lieutenant of Somerset and a descendant of the local Stradling family who date back to the fourteenth century. The building commands extensive views over Somerset, including Glastonbury Tor. The first Ordnance Survey of 1886 records the tower and pleasure ground as 'Chilton Priory (Museum)'.
The Folly and the later mansion
Stradling refers to it as the 'Priory of Chilton-Super-Polden in his book of 1839. Built as a landmark it was also designed to be functional. The folly is a three-storey tower containing the Charles and Victoria rooms, with an observatory, nave, refectory, oratory and a crypt below, with a wing at the rear were built in 1838, probably by the architect William Halliday, for the antiquarian and art collector William Stradling to house his acquisitions. A plaque recording the name 'G. Dowden 1836' is set into the top of the tower above the doorway. Stradling did not live at Chilton Priory, his abode was at Roseville, now The Towers House in the village, located within a small park which also possessed a grotto, bridge and temple.
Stradling acquired and incorporated materials from the Roman Villa at Chedzoy; an old church at Langport provided the pinnacles; the grotesque heads, the upper windows and battlements came from a demolished castle at Enmore; staircase turret from a church in Shepton Mallet and three of the nave windows came from a chapel at Slapeland. The buildings have several gargoyles. The single storey wing attached to east of tower has lancet windows and the gabled porch to the south has a fine door dated 1616. The south and east ranges have two storeys with stone mullioned windows.
The refectory has some mediaeval stained glass, a fireplace set in a massive freestone surround and a 17th-century altar rail. Inset above in the fireplace surround is an example of one of the eighteen sculptural works that she produced. This 1910 work, 'Magna Mater' (Great Mother), has links with Cybele and was commissioned by Elbert and Alice Hubbard. The roof has gilt and oak rosettes from the Church of Glastonbury and on one of the beams is an elegantly carved scrawl surmounted by some tabernacle work, painted blue and red, ornamented with gold, taken from York Minster after the fire caused by an incendiary in WW2. The small Oratory at the east end has a floor of ancient monastic tiles from the Abbeys of Glastonbury and Tintern.
Stradling was a Freemason and a member of the 'Lodge of Perpetual Friendship in Bridgewater. This refectory has 'a black and white stone floor, bordered with blue similar to those at Freemasons' Lodges,'but it is not known if the room was ever used for Masonic rituals. Stradling employed a Mr William Halleday as a warden, living in the Gothic Cottage.
After Stradling's death much of his extensive collection was dispersed and the priory left for a time to deteriorate. A catalogue of his collection still exists.
The first buildings are in Gothic style and a Tudor style used for the later additions with a mock-military theme. These additional buildings were added towards the mid 19th century and finally some 20th century alterations and additions were added, such as the attached garage and outbuildings to the east.