 The tower stands near the location of 'Egbert's Stone', where it was said that Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, rallied the Saxons in May 878 before the important Battle of Edington (historically known as the battle of "Ethandun"), where the Danish army, led by Guthrum the Old was defeated.It is the start of the Leland Trail, a footpath which runs from King Alfred's Tower to Ham Hill Country Park.The project to build the tower was conceived in 1762 by the banker Henry Hoare II (1705-1785).