A STONE tower, which has inspired generations of poets and writers, is one step closer to being spared a watery grave thanks to a National Lottery grant.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has donated £436,700 to help the Landmark Trust save and restore Clavell Tower, which stands on the edge of a crumbling cliff above Kimmeridge Bay.

The Rev John Richards Clavell built the tower in 1830 as an observatory and folly. The tower provided crime writer PD James with the inspiration for The Black Tower and the author is backing the campaign to save the building.

The three-storey tower was one of the places where writer Thomas Hardy courted his first love Eliza Nicholl, and he also used an illustration of the building opposite the title page in his Wessex Poems.

The Landmark Trust, which is a leading building preservation charity, plans to dismantle the tower and move it 25 metres inland before the cliff erodes any more and sends it tumbling into the sea.

Adrian Tinniswood, chairman of the South West regional committee of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "The Clavell Tower is a magnificent building in a stunning location and there was no question about the importance of saving it from falling into the sea."

Planning permission and listed building consent have both been granted, but there is still a shortfall of £155,679, which is urgently needed before work can begin.

Once restored it will be let for holidays through the Landmark Trust and its rental income will pay for its future ongoing maintenance.

Donations towards the urgent rescue of Clavell Tower can be made by contacting the Landmark Trust on 01628 825920 or by sending donations to the Landmark Trust, Shottesbrooke, Maidenhead, Berkshire.

First published: October 13