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A new fire safety system designed to protect one of Dorset, England's most iconic coastal landmarks has Kentec’s sector leading fire safety control panel technology at its core.
Clavell Tower, a unique four-story circular tower overlooking one of the most striking bays on the Dorset coast, was dramatically saved from the crumbling cliff edge in 2008 before being fully restored and converted into one of the most coveted holiday lets in the country.
Following the tower’s restoration, trustees recognized the need to upgrade the building’s inadequate stand-alone battery-powered smoke detectors/sounders, and to provide up-to-date protection for such an historic landmark.
CSG Fire and Security Ltd. designed and installed a state-of-the-art system based around a Kentec Syncro 1 Loop fire control panel with a mix of Hyfire wireless-system thermal detectors, wireless optical smoke detectors, and base sounder beacons. The system avoided any disruption to the building’s historic fabric or damage to the decorative interior through the use of unsightly cables.
The tower was built in 1831 by local clergyman John Clavell as an observatory and folly. Its location has captivated many people, including writer Thomas Hardy, and it inspired P.D. James' novel The Black Tower. By the end of the 19th century, the structure was in use by the Coast Guard as a watchtower, but it fell into disuse between the two world wars and was gutted by fire in 1923.
By the late 1980s the tower was in real danger of falling off the cliff edge. In 2008, the Landmark Trust, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, moved the tower from the crumbling Kimmeridge cliff edge, and restored and converted it into one of the most coveted holiday lets in England, with matchless views along the dramatic Purbeck coast.
