The Spire of Lloyd in Kells, Ireland is an 18th-century folly in the form of a Doric column, surmounted by a glazed lantern. Sometimes described as "Ireland's only inland lighthouse", it was designed by architect

Henry Aaron Baker Henry Aaron Baker (1753–1836), was an Irish architect. Baker was a student from 1777 to 1779 at the Dublin Society's School of Architectural Drawing under Thomas Ivory. Following Ivory's death, Baker was a pupil of James Gandon, 'and acted ...

. It was reputedly commissioned by

Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective, KP, PC (Ire) (20 October 1724 – 14 February 1795) was an Irish peer and politician. Early life He was the oldest son of the former Sarah Graham and Sir Thomas Taylor, 2nd Baronet, a Member of the Parlia ...

as a memorial to his father. The tower is located on the Hill of Lloyd, making this 40 kilometres from the coast and is around 30 m (100 ft) high. From the top there are views of the surrounding countryside as far as the

Mourne Mountains The Mourne Mountains ( ; ga, Beanna Boirche), also called the Mournes or Mountains of Mourne, are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland. They include the highest mountains in Northern Ireland, the high ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to th ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

on a clear day. The tower was used to view horse racing and the hunt in the nineteenth century. A plaque on the tower reads: :''This pillar was designed by Henry Aaron Baker Esq. architect was executed by Mr. Joseph Beck stone cutter Mr. Owen Mc Cabe head mason Mr. Bartle Reilly overseer Anno 1791.'' The area around the tower has been developed as a community park, and includes a paupers' grave, where Mass is still celebrated annually in memory of the Great Famine.

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* * {{Osmway, 279632856 Religion in County Meath Tourist attractions in County Meath Buildings and structures in County Meath