Did You Know That Sway is Home to the Tallest FOLLY in the World?

Built by Judge Andrew Thomas Turton Peterson on his private estate , Sway tower or Folly standing at over 210 ft tall was built between 1879-1885. and is the tallest folly in the world. In fact it was also at the time of it's construction the tallest concrete structure in the world and is visible from almost anywhere in the New Forest and surrounding districts including The Isle of Wight.

When it was built is was partially as an experiment to see how tall and safe a free standing concrete edifice could be built and as his final resting place. During his time in India,Peterson was inspired by some of the follies that he had seen whilst living out there. Originally it was built as a mausoleum and he intended for a light to be positioned on the top but planners would not allow this.

Now it is a private residence although during the late 1990s work was carried out to convert it into a hotel but for fire safety regulations this was not allowed as there was insufficient room on the inside for a separate fire escape so the plans were abandoned.

Situated in the southern part of the forest, Sway has a railway station with frequent stops of the service between London Waterloo - Southampton - Bournemouth - Weymouth. Although during the Dr. Beeching eara of drastic cuts in local rail stations Sway was not affected and this is appreciated by the many commuters who chose to use the frequent trains to the destinations along the line.

Sway was also immortalized in the novel 'Children of the New Forest' written by Captain Frederick Marryat who was born July 10 1792, and died August 8 1848.

In 1828 he retired from the British navy to allow himself more time to devote himself to writing. In the following 20 years of his life he wrote 26 books and some of which are still in print and many of these are among the very best of English literature

Marryat had an extraordinary gift for the invention of episodes in his stories. He says somewhere that when he sat down for the day’s work, he never knew what he was going to write. He certainly was a literary genius though.

The twenty-fourth of the twenty-six that he wrote, his most famous and the last to be published was 'The Children of The New Forest'. Originally published in 1847 as a children's book it has captured the hearts of all generations and even now over 160 years since his death it is still in print and selling well.

There is a very strong village community with much of the activity centered around the parish Church of St. Luke and the Village Hall and if you have an interest then you are sure to find that your needs are well met.

From Acoustic Blues to Scouts with the whole spectrum in between. Tai chi, tennis, cricket, badminton, boules, fencing, gardening.walking, running, table tennis, village market, luncheon club and Woman's Institute and much more.

With easy access to all parts of The New Forest, Southampton and Bournemouth and numerous camping sites offering all facilitiesand numerous boarding and hotels offering accommodation Sway is the ideal place to stay for a walking vacation.

Return to New Forest Villages.

Return to top of Sway page.