The Story of the Round Tower Cuddington and Sandiway Cheshire UK

The Round Tower in the central reservation of the A556 has been a village landmark for two centuries. Built as a gatehouse for a stately home, the Round Tower, a Grade II listed building, has recently undergone a facelift thanks to the insistence of Cuddington Parish Council.
The 18ft high tower with it's distinctive castellated appearance and bricked up gothic windows once stood on a quiet country lane. It was the gate house to a park surrounding Vale Royal Abbey, now the home of a fashionable golf club, but once a magnificent stately home occupied by the Cholmondeley family later the Lords Delamere.

The development of the A556 into a main arterial road left the Round Tower in its present unique location in the central reservation of the dual carriageway at the junction of the A556 and the Norley Road leading to Sandiway and Cuddington. The Round Tower was for many years a residence with a single story extension attached to the east side. The modifications to the tower when this was removed can still clearly be seen. The Round Tower was shown as a residence in the 1871 census and was occupied as late as the 1920's. Clearly a unique and interesting structure such as the Round Tower has attracted many myths and legends. One such myth says that the tower concealed a dungeon used as a hiding place by King Charles II and local people have joked for years that it was the cleanest house in the area having "no dusty corners". The refurbishment completed in 2002 by the Highways Agency was designed to make the tower weatherproof with repointing and a new roof. Most impressive of all is a fine new studded oak door. This work should ensure that the Round Tower will remain the symbol of Cuddington and Sandiway for many years to come, withstanding the vibration and pollution caused by modern traffic. A far cry from earlier days when stagecoaches and farm carts rumbled past.

Mrs Val Godfrey Deputy Mayor of Vale Royal Borough Council and a Cuddington Parish Councillor, said : " The Round Tower has been part of our heritage for two hundred years and we are delighted that work has been carried out to preserve it for future generations to enjoy." Mr Matthew Sweeting of the Highways Agency said: "This Round Tower in the middle of a busy dual carriageway no doubt puzzles passing drivers but for the local people it is a much loved local landmark"