Helen's Tower
| Helen's Tower | |
|---|---|
Helen's Tower in 2008, seen from the south | |
| Coordinates | 54°37′22″N 5°41′41″W / 54.62277°N 5.69469°W |
| Built | 1848–1861 |
| Architect | William Burn |
Listed Building – Grade A | |
| Designated | 06/01/1975 |
| Reference no. | HB23/06/009 |
Helen's Tower is a 19th-century folly and lookout tower in Conlig, County Down, Northern Ireland. It was built by 5th Lord Dufferin and Clandeboye and named for his mother, Helen. He intended it as a shrine for poems, first of all a poem by his mother and then others that he solicited from famous poets over the years. Tennyson's Helen's Tower is the best known of them. The tower is an example of Scottish Baronial architecture. Helen's Tower inspired the design of the Ulster Tower, a war memorial at Thiepval, France.