Watkins' Tower was a partially-completed building in London.
Shortly after the construction of the Eiffel Tower a British Member of Parliament, Sir Edward Watkin, proposed the construction of a tower in Wembley Park, London, that would be 46 metres (150 feet) taller. A competition was held, and numerous designs submitted. The winning entry was a metal tower on six legs, but it was soon modified to a four-legged design that looked very similar to the Eiffel Tower. A company was set up to build the "Watkins' Tower" and construction on the tower and the surrounding park began in 1891, but when the park opened in 1894 the tower had only reached a height of 47 metres (155 feet). By the end of that year the money ran out and work stopped. "Watkins' Folly", the "London Stump", was never completed. The company turned to house building to recoup its losses and finally demolished the tower in 1907. The site now houses Wembley Stadium, currently being rebuilt and due to open in 2006.
A large lattice tower but without observation dock was built in 1950 as the Crystal Palace Transmitter.
Reference
- Information taken from London as it Might Have Been by Felix Barker and Ralph Hyde, 1982, ISBN 0719538572
