Abernethy Tower

A visit to the nearby town of Abernethy reveals a real treasure - the Abernethy Round Tower. I quote from the Wikipedia article:

The Abernethy Round Tower is a stone-built Irish-style round tower which stands at the edge of the cemetery in Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.

I don't know exactly what the symbols on the Pictish stone at the base of the tower represent but I can guess. A hatchet with a handle and one without, what appears to be a sword in a stone and a rose are seem to be symbols of power and loyalty.

Moreover, this tower stands where...

 ...Malcolm III of Scotland paid homage to William the Conqueror some six years after the Battle of Hastings.

 Pretty cool, eh?



It is 22.5 m high and tapers from 4.57 m to 3.96 m as you go up.

This tower stands in the corner of a cemetery, so naturally, we had a look about. This was not a great cemetery like some we've visited but it does have some nice bits.

Here you can see the round tower in the corner of the cemetery. the low building to the right houses a cafe. It is to the cafe that I went to get the key to the tower so I could climb it. I walked in, asked to get the key, and it was handed over, no questions asked. Didn't even ask for my name. Easy-peasy.

But the cemetery does have some stones with unique carvings. I've never seen a stone with a detailed tree quite like this.

This one has all the symbols of mortality in full display. From the handshake at the top ("we'll meet again"), to the shovel pick and hourglass at the bottom ("life is short and we all end under the ground"), it covers all the bases.

Once I got the key, I turned on the lights and started climbing the 100+ stairs to the top. Once at the top of the spiral staircase, there is a short ladder and door to open to get to the top. Once on the top, there is a low wall with a handrail (thank goodness!) and a view of the area. In the distance in the this direction is the Tay river and the cemetery below us. As usual here (at least this time of year), the church is locked.

Looking away from the river we see another church in this small town that is being renovated. Looking down, we also see the mercat cross (market cross) which indicates that this town had the right to have a regular market or fair.

And, in this direction, we see some of the brightly colored houses in this town.

At the top of the tower is a bell dated 1782. I can't find any source that tell me about this bell.

While originally, this tower appears to have had six wooden floors, perhaps connected by ladders, it now has a modern steel spiral stair filling the interior.