The structure was saved by the Swanage-based contractor George Burt and shipped back to his hometown, without the clock mechanism.

Later owners removed the spire in 1904, though the structure remains a prominent landmark in the town and was granted grade II protection as a listed building in 1952.

It was funded by a public subscription and contributions from railway companies organised by the Commissioners for Lighting the West Division of Southwark.

[1] The uppermost level comprised four piers (one at each corner of the structure) atop which are trefoil cusped arches which supported a spire.

The tower was completed within 6 months, although the money raised proved insufficient to provide the statue, as originally intended.

[1][3] The tower was overshadowed by the construction of the Charing Cross to London Bridge railway and the 1863 Waterloo East viaduct, which detracted from its aesthetic.

The barges required ballast to stabilise them for the return journey and Burt used material salvaged from buildings demolished in the capital, re-erecting many of them in his hometown.

[1] The fabric of the Wellington clock tower was acquired by Burt and transported to Swanage as ballast in his ship Mayflower.

[1] In 1907 The Antiquary magazine stated that "the first sight one sees on sailing into Swanage Harbour" is the Wellington clock tower.