Sandford Heath LAA Tower – Scheduled Ancient Monument
A WWII-era reinforced concrete structure in decline - protected by law, inaccessible, and invisible to the public
Visual Overview
Project Overview
Client & Sector:
Client:
Natural England
Sector:
Heritage / Conservation
Project Tags:
Conservation
Heritage
Public Access
Scheduled Monument
The Challenge
The Brief and The Reality
The anti-aircraft tower at Sandford Heath – one of fewer than ten surviving examples of its type – was deteriorating. As a Scheduled Ancient Monument, any intervention required the highest level of heritage justification. The site had no public access, no interpretation, and no route to the top. Natural England needed to stabilise the structure and make it accessible and meaningful to visitors, without compromising its protected status or its character as a relic in the landscape.
The Outcome
How 360DS Approached It Differently
360DS developed a scheme in close collaboration with Historic England that protects the existing concrete frame with best-practice conservation repair, while introducing a new external stair and viewing platform enclosed in a Corten steel shroud. The shroud reads as a solid form from a distance – avoiding visual competition with the tower – while allowing close-range views at the platform. Interpretation points along the route connect the tower to historically significant locations in the surrounding landscape.
Client Outcomes
What Changed For Them
Scheduled Monument protected for the long term
Best-practice conservation repair and a heritage-approved intervention strategy secures the tower's survival - addressing the deterioration that was placing it at risk.
Public access created where none existed
A new stair and viewing platform opens the site to visitors for the first time - transforming an inaccessible relic into a publicly meaningful heritage asset.
Interpretation programme embedded in the design
Route-based interpretation connects the tower to its wartime landscape context - extending visitor engagement beyond the site itself.
Historic England support secured
The scheme progressed through pre-planning with Historic England's support - significantly reducing planning risk ahead of formal submission.