Layer Marney Tower (Layer Marney)
Layer Marney Tower is an extraordinary building at Layer Marney in Essex.
The tallest and most magnificent Tudor gatehouse in England, its turrets rise to eight storeys high, a height only normally achieved by cathedrals.
Lord Marney built the gatehouse to be part of an enormous mansion which was intended to rival Hampton Court Palace in the 1520s. But he died soon after, followed by his only son, which extinguished the line, so the mansion was never built.
The surrounding buildings are all later, including the Edwardian Long Gallery.
Layer Marney Tower is now owned by the Charrington family.