Rhenish Tower

The Rhenish Tower is a square brick structure on Lynmouth pier featuring two balconies supported by brick machicolations near its top. It was built specifically to hold water supplies for saltwater bathing houses in the area.

The structure was built around 1832 as part of Victorian bathing culture on the English coast. It was destroyed in the 1952 Lynmouth flood disaster and reconstructed in 1954 to its present form.

The tower takes its name from architectural similarities to Rhine fortifications, reflecting how European design influenced English coastal buildings in the 1800s. Visitors can see this connection in the brick balconies and squared shape that remain distinctive features of the structure.

The tower stands directly on the pier, making it visible from various points along the waterfront. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes since the pier can be slippery in wet conditions and wind exposure is common.

A single fire basket from the original 1832 structure survived the devastating 1952 floods and was incorporated into the rebuilt tower. This small artifact serves as a reminder of the site's resilience after one of the region's worst natural disasters.