A PURBECK landmark moved to safety brick-by-brick from an eroding cliff top will open to the public for free later this month.

The Clavell Tower, which stood high on the cliffs above Kimmeridge, was moved 85ft back from the edge to prevent it tumbling into the bay.

The work, recognised by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, which handed the tower a conservation award last year, took two years to complete.

Over the weekend of September 11/12 the building preservation charity the Landmark Trust will open the tower to the public.

A Landmark Trust spokesman said: “These free open days, part of the annual Heritage Open Days event, will give people an opportunity to see inside this historic local building and learn more about its history.”

The tower was built in 1830 by Rev John Richards Clavell as an observatory and folly.

It was used by the coastguards in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries but then fell into disuse. It was gutted by fire in the 1930s and remained derelict for decades.

PD James’ novel The Black Tower is thought to have been inspired by the building, which was also said to have been used by Thomas Hardy to court his first love Eliza Nicholls.

The restoration project, costing around £1 million, involved moving 16,272 bricks.

“The restoration was made possible through generous grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Country Houses Foundation and Dorset County Council as well as many private individuals and grant making trusts,” explained the spokesman.

The building will open between 10am and 4pm each day.