Built as a memorial to a much-loved wife
The Peters family were successful Liverpool merchants. William Peters, who built this clock tower in 1885 as a memorial to his wife, lived in a sizable classical house nearby.
We repaired the polychrome brick, restored the clock with its daytime chimes, and made the Tower habitable again – it had been a refuge for fishermen stranded here by the weather. Every inch of space inside its tiny rooms is valuable, so our architect, having spent some time at a boatyard, fitted it out with teak and brass and varnish. The views from all the windows are interesting and some spectacular, and you will find yourself surveying and participating in the daily bustle of life on the foreshore. Life here is lived vertically, the views of the estuary getting better as you climb the steep spiral stairs. The Tower is just a few minutes’ walk from the village station.
On the waterfront
The Tower is no great work of architecture, but it is part of the history of Lympstone. It stands at the end of an alley, actually on the water’s edge, in this large and pleasant village, looking across the broad estuary of the Exe to the green fields beyond. Moreover, it is only a short walk from a railway station, so there is no need for those who stay here to have a car.
