The cost of repairs was estimated at £4 million. In July 2006, Tonbridge and Malling borough council announced that it would issue a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the tower in an effort to save it. This CPO was confirmed in March 2008 by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with plans for the council to take possession of the Tower and transfer it to the Vivat Trust in late 2009, so that the necessary repair and restoration work can be undertaken; plans included short-term holiday accommodation, with a separate exhibition centre on part of the ground floor. In January 2011, it was announced that the tower had been compulsorily purchased by Tonbridge and Malling District Council; the council sold it to the Vivat Trust for £1. Restoration of the tower, including the replacement of the lantern commenced in February 2011, with completion then scheduled for September 2012. The project was funded by grants from English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The latter granted £2,000,000 of the estimated £4,000,000 restoration cost. After restoration, the tower offered holiday accommodation, with public exhibition space on the ground floor. On 24 February 2011, Hadlow Castle was transferred to the Vivat Trust. The restoration was completed in February 2013, making it the tallest folly in the United Kingdom. In October 2013, the restoration of the tower was recognised when the Vivat Trust and the Save Hadlow Tower Action Group (SHTAG) won a Lloyd-Webber Angel Award. Work was completed on the interior; the exhibition centre in the tower was open on Thursdays from May to October. Visits are organised by SHTAG. In September 2014, it was shortlisted for the 2014 Kent Design Awards. Following the collapse of Vivat Trust, the tower was offered for sale in May 2016. In 2017 the tower was sold to a private individual for £425,000. The tower was re-listed for sale in 2020 with Sotheby's International Realty for £1,475,000. References Sources External links Vivat Trust Save Hadlow Tower Action Group Folly Towers - Hadlow Tower Lost Heritage - old photos and engravings of the Castle Country houses in Kent Towers in Kent Hadlow Grade I listed buildings in Kent Grade I listed houses Houses completed in 1843 Former country houses in England Gothic Revival architecture in Kent British country houses destroyed in the 20th century Demolished buildings and structures in Kent Octagonal buildings in the United