More than as a residence, this tower was built as a folly and was the starting point of an ambitious landscape project for the Clandeboy Estate.
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, Baron Dufferin and Claneboye, commissioned the design of the tower to the Scottish architect William Burn in 1848. It was completed in October 1861 and was named in honour of Frederick's mother, Helen Selina Blackwood.
The tower is three storeys tall and has typical features of the Scottish castle, like the corbelled turrets and parapet. It received poems written by important writers and poets of the 19th century.
The building is currently a luxury accomodation for holiday for one family at a time. Because of this, the access is allowed only to those who have booked their weekends. The tower and its courtyard are fenced off, and the closest to the tower we could get was its gate on the south (185°) side.
On this side of the tower there's the main doorway with a plaque over it with the letters D&A, initials of Dufferin and Ava, and the date 1850.
The tower stands on the top of a hill and is quite well hidden in the woodpark of the estate. Finding it isn't easy.
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