It is a visitor attraction that can be combined with a visit to the nearby National Botanic Garden of Wales. Its high location provides views over the Botanic Gardens and the Tywi valley. The tower, a grade II* listed building, is under the care of the National Trust. The surrounding parkland is registered at Grade II* on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
■ History
The tower was built by Sir William Paxton (1745-1824), a Scottish-born and London-raised merchant and banker, whose forefathers were from Auchencrow by Paxton, Berwickshire. Paxton made his first fortune while with the HEIC in Calcutta with Charles Cockerell, brother of the architect. He purchased the Middleton Hall estate c 1790. The tower was built c 1806-1809. Paxton may have been inspired to build the tower by Nelson’s death at Trafalgar. Whilst in the office of mayor of Carmarthen, he may have met Nelson in person. Marble tablets dedicating the tower to Nelson were located above the entrances to the tower.Middleton Hall was designed by the architect, Samuel Pepys Cockerell (1754-1827) and was destroyed by fire in 1931.
■ Construction
The tower is 36 feet high. The lower part of the tower is triangular in shape with a turret at each corner. On the first floor there is a banqueting room. Coloured glass from one of the windows can now be seen in the Carmarthen Museum at Abergwili. On the second floor there is a hexagonal prospect room surrounded by roof terraces. The windows to the prospect room are now bricked up. There is currently public access to the first floor banqueting room via stairs in one of the corner turrets.
■ Pi
A piece of land at the nearby National Botanic Garden of Wales, named Paxton’s View because of its views of the tower, features the sculpture Pi by Rawleigh Clay, which consists of a large metal hoop mounted by a twisted wooden structure. The hoop is designed so that it ”frames” the view of Paxton’s Tower, and as such has been described as a ”viewing circle” for the tower.

SW 12.6Km	Carmarthen
SW 19.7Km	Llanelli
SE 27.8Km	Swansea.com Stadium
SE 29.9Km	Swansea
SE 37.9Km	Port Talbot
NW 43.2Km	Aberaeron
SW 44.5Km	Tenby
NE 48.2Km	Brecon Beacons National Park
NE 51.9Km	Brecon

vTourMap 🝙 Paxton's Tower 🝙 🝙

vTourMap 🝙 　 Paxton's Tower　 🝙 　 🝙