Queen's Tower, Delft

Queen's Tower stands by itself on a low rise near the centre of Delft, a few kilometres inland from the ferry jetty. It is a square, three-storey coral-stone structure with narrow windows on each face and a flat upper deck — built by the British in the 19th century as a navigation aid for shipping moving through the Palk Strait between Ceylon and the Madras coast. From the top, on a clear day, you can see most of the island and a long stretch of open sea in both directions.

The construction is the same coral rubble used everywhere else on Delft. The lime mortar is more refined than the dry-stone walls in the surrounding fields, and the corners are still squared cleanly. Some stretches of plaster survive. The tower is open to the elements — there are no doors, no caretaker, no lighting on the internal stair — but the staircase inside is in good enough condition for a careful climb to the upper level.

The name is a slight exaggeration. There is no record of Queen Victoria having anything to do with the building; the name was attached locally during the colonial period and has stuck. Whatever its origin, the tower is one of the more architecturally complete colonial structures on the island, in better preserved condition than the older Portuguese fort by the jetty.

The standard tractor circuit from the jetty stops here for fifteen or twenty minutes. Allow time for the climb if the inside is open; the view is the reason most visitors come. The roof deck is exposed and the wind is strong, so hold on to anything loose.

Pair the tower with the Portuguese fort, the baobab, and the wild horses for the full European-period circuit on the island.