Old John the upper floor, and is open to visitors on the park's guided walk programmes. In 2001, Bradgate Park Trust registered the design of the building as a trademark, and in 2018 told a local artist that she would have to pay them if she continued to sell her paintings of it. Adjacent to the tower is a toposcope installed in 1953. This was installed by the people of Newtown Linford from money raised at the 1953 'Pageant of Lady Jane Grey', performed to celebrate 400 years since she was proclaimed Queen of England. Old John Tower occupies the north-eastern end
Bradgate, Iowa land was donated to the railroad by Cord N. King. It was hoped that the terminal would be built at this spot, but after the entire valley of the Des Moines River flooded on July 7, 1881, it was decided to move the terminal to Eagle Grove. John Wesley King built a house near the post office and became the town's first postmaster. In the summer of 1950, three people from "Life Magazine" spent a number of days in Bradgate taking numerous pictures and interviewing nearly everyone for a special profile on a small Iowa town. When the article came