Foll- The e-Bulletin of The Folly Fellowship

The Folly Fellowship is a Registered Charity No. 1002646 and a Company Limited by Guarantee No. 2600672 Britain‟s Favourite Follies

Issue 31 October 2010

Follies Journal 9 Volume 9 of the Journal was sent to subscribing members last week. It is the first of two volumes on Follies in France, researched and explained in the level of detail you would expect from Pieter and Rita. Their Appendix and Addenda to Journals 9 and 10 have also been posted on the Folly Fellowship‟s website www.follies.org.uk.

The Bridge and Pantheon at Stourhead Photo: Colinmel on Flickr hich is Britain‟s favour- W ite folly? It is a question representation of „greatness‟, what we are often asked and one we try -ever that means. For example, to avoid answering if we can, in one of the shortlisted was David part because it implies a degree of Beckham, and while few would importance in the result and be- deny that his football skills are The Rustic Folly at Domaine de Villechaise, Confolens, Charante (16) cause it panders to the ‘celebrity’ breathtaking or that his ability to Photo: John and Philippa Holroyd obsession that plagues our lives. It send an inch-perfect pass to Ryan is also because polls of any type Giggs sprinting down the opposite rely on the people being surveyed side of the Old Trafford pitch pro- Rex Critchlow RIBA knowing enough about the subject vided us with moments of pure It is with enormous sadness that to reach an informed decision, sporting genius, his achievements we report the death of our long which is rarely the case. And, to do not compare to those of Shake- time friend, member and architect be fair, our resistance may also be speare, Brunel or Churchill. colleague Rex Critchlow, who died linked to the fact that even we David‟s inclusion was simply on 3rd October. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jenifer, don‟t know the answer. because he was a hero to people and with his family, friends and In 2002, the BBC set out to who had never heard of William colleagues. If anyone who would establish our “Greatest Briton” and Tyndale, Alan Turing or Tim Bern- like to send a letter of condolence, published a list of candidates that ers-Lee. The same is true of John they can do so through Andrew was as remarkable for the people Lennon and explains why he was Plumridge. who were included as it was for eighth on the list—ahead of Lord those who were not. It was based Nelson! It also explains why Rob- on “the nation‟s choice” and re- bie Williams, Bono, Michael Craw- The Folly Fellowship vealed just how little some of us ford and Tony Blair were there at Articles, pictures, comments and feed- know about our nation and accom- all—Blair, by the way, was 67th in back for the e-Bulletin should be sent to [email protected]. All other plishments. It also showed that the BBC poll but first in Channel correspondence should be sent to people nominate candidates from 4‟s list of 100 Worst Britons in [email protected]. the limit of their knowledge so their 2003, just ahead of Jordan! Point list was never going to be a true taken?

The BBC is obsessed by polls are uninitiated, begone!‟ It is be- and has held one for almost every- lieved to have been included to thing you could imagine, including ensure that visitors entered the Britain‟s best view and best food gardens in the right spirit, some- festival. In May of this year, its thing that is just as apt today. Countryfile magazine added a list The Pantheon (see front) was of Britain‟s favourite follies, and also by Flitcroft and built 1753-4. while the results were largely to be Horace Walpole was particularly expected, there were a couple of struck by its splendour, saying that surprises. The list is repeated here „Few buildings exceed the magnifi- to see how it compares with your cence, taste and beauty of this own. temple‟, and is part of the iconic image of Stourhead. Although its walls are lined with classical stat- st place, and honour of being ues, its interior is dominated by 1 Britain‟s favourite folly, was Rysbrack‟s statue of Hercules, awarded to Stourhead, Wiltshire. after whom the temple was origi- The quick among you will immedi- nally named. ately point out that this is a garden The Bridge was built in 1762, rather than a folly, so should have and modelled on one of Palladio‟s three sides measuring 33 feet in been disqualified, but therein lies at Vicenza. Three years later, Flit- length, three gargoyles per eleva- one of the problems with polls. croft added the Temple of Apollo, tion and three Latin inscriptions of Built by the wealthy banker which he based on the circular 33 characters in length to name Henry Hoare, Stourhead was in- temple at Baalbeck (), and but a few. Its religious significance tended to be a reminder of his tour created a view that Walpole rightly is also reflected in each elevation of and reflect his fascination described as „one of the most pic- representing one element of the for the remains of Classical and turesque scenes in the world.‟ Holy Trinity: God the Father, God Renaissance Rome. After dam- the Son and God the Holy Ghost. ming the River Stour to create the lake, the landscape was shaped to rd place will be a surprise to create serene walks with views 3 many, and is Roger’s Folly that were enriched by the addition near Penzance, Cornwall. Built in of what we now call follies. the early years of the 19th century by John Rogers of Treassowe (1750-1832), it provided a shelter from where he could look at the The Temple of Apollo. Photo: Flash of Light on Flickr sea and at St. Michael‟s Mount. Although the rustic cottage and convent survive in the surrounding woods, and the much forgotten St. Peter‟s Well still stands at the top of the valley, many of the original garden structures have been lost. St. Peter’s Pump at Stourhead, by Francis Nicholson These include Hoare‟s plan to His first project was to build the erect a sham mosque in the gar- Grotto, work on which started in den together with his Turkish tent, 1740. It was lined in tufa imported hermitage, Chinese temple and from Italy, and the main chamber Umbrello, all of which were later furnished with a reclining nymph „demolished by Sir Richard Coalt based on the statue of Ariadne in Hoare in order to falsify Stourhead the Vatican Gardens. It overlooks as The Great Classical Gar- the lake and the Temple of Flora, den‟ (H+M Follies). built in 1744 by Henry Flitcroft. Standing over a natural spring nd place was awarded to the known as the „Paradise Well‟, the 2 Rushton Triangular Lodge th place was awarded to the Temple of Flora is based on a in Northamptonshire, arguably our 4 group of follies at Barwick temple to the river god Clitumnus oldest folly. It was the brainchild of Park, near Yeovil, Somerset, the in Spoleto (Umbria) and carries an Sir Thomas Tresham who started best known of which is Jack the inscription from Sybil‟s speech to work on the building in 1593 after Treacle Eater. Aeneas as he enters the under- his release from prison for refusing According to local folklore, the world, saying ‘Procul, O procul to deny the Catholic faith. Every- follies were erected in the 1820s este, profane’ (from Virgil‟s Ae- thing about the building is based by George Messiter to mark the neid) meaning „Begone, you who on the number 3: three storeys, four boundaries of his estate and 2

restoration, builders uncovered a 965 feet above sea level. In 1765 date stone for 1859 at third floor he set out to correct this by adding level suggesting that the tower his 64-feet-tall Gothic prospect was originally only half of its height tower and saying over the door but extended upwards. It now pro- that „it was built not for not only his vides luxurious holiday accommo- own pleasure, but also for the en- dation. joyment of others.‟ In the beginning the tower had just two rooms and an internal staircase. To help them enjoy the Jack the Treacle Eater, Barwick Park view, Hull provided a telescope so Photo: Leon (Nero21) on Flickr that visitors could see London to to relieve unemployment. There is the north, the English Channel to a ring of truth about this, with the the south, Fish Tower on the north quadrant, and the Jack on the east, the 75-feet-high obligatory Cone (Rose Tower) at the west, 13 counties and Needle to the south. However, on a clear Barbara Jones tells us that two of day. the follies appear in paintings of When he Barwick House from the 1770s, died in some half a century earlier, throw- 1772, Hull ing all such theories to the wind. was buried beneath the Brynkir Tower. Photo: Paul th place was given to Char- White www.welshruins.co.uk) tower, but it Leith Hill Tower borough Tower at Morden, th place was quickly Photo: Jimseviltwin 5 on www.britannica.com Dorset. A plaque on the tower tells 7 seemed surprisingly low for stripped of that it was built by Edward Drax in The Dunmore Pineapple, given its doors, windows and contents 1790, during the short time that he that it is probably „the most bizarre and fell into a ruined state. To owned the estate. A lightning building in Scotland‟. Built in 1761 avoid further damage the tower strike on 29 November 1838 re- by the 29-year-old John Murray, was filled with rubble and the en- sulted in much of the tower being 4th Earl of Dunmore, the building trance blocked up. When Mr Eve- taken down and re-built the follow- is often attributed to Sir William lyn reopened it in 1864, the com- ing year at a reduced height. Chambers because of his designs pacted rubble was too difficult to Even at a fraction of its former for similar buildings at Kew Gar- remove so he added the side tur- self, the tower at Charborough is dens, but there is no evidence to ret and staircase to give visitors an impressive and surprising addi- support or deny this. access to the roof again. The Na- tion to the list. tional Trust removed the last of the rubble in 1984 as part of its refur- bishment.

th place 9 w a s taken by The House in the Clouds at T h o r p n e s s (Suffolk). Built in the 1920s, it was the idea of G. Stuart Ogilvie who devel- oped what some called „the ideal holiday vil- lage‟, and others „the Home of Pe- ter Pan.‟ It originally contained Charborough Park Tower Dunmore Pineapple, Stirling water storage tanks for all of the Photo: Ted van Onzen Photo: Simon Brown th place th place nearby houses, but these have 6 was awarded to the six- 8 was awarded to Hull’s gone now that the area is on a storey Brynkir Tower at Dolben- Tower in Surrey. It was built by mains supply. The building is maen (Snowdonia) built by Joseph Richard Hull who was frustrated now partially let as holiday accom- Huddart in 1821. During the 1994 knowing that Leith Hill was only modation. 3

ompleting the list in 10th Feedback C place was Tollymore For- est Park at Castlewellan in Co. Mark Bridge kindly responded to Bulletin Down (NI). It is, of course, another 29 (Pyramids) and reported that “earlier group of follies and something of a this year an ancient Beech tree growing gem for folly hunters, including a in Brightling Park was snapped off by a barn that is disguised as a church, gale and tumbled into the churchyard, stone cones on gate piers and narrowly missing Fuller’s pyramid but gothic-style gate arches like the demolishing part of the great wall he Barbican Gate (below). They are had built around the estate. Happily the believed to be the work of Thomas tree has been cut up and the wall re- Wright of Durham (1711-86), who stored, while other trees which might was a friend of Lord Clanbrassil, threaten in the future have been owner of Tollymore at that time. In trimmed back.” addition, the path along the Shimna river is marked by many Richard and Janie Saunders also wrote curiosities, including bridges, grot- to say “I expect you’re well aware of this toes and caves. building, but as the bulletin said, there were so few of them I thought I’d remind everyone of the pared down version of Cabinet War Rooms in London, this style in Fore Street, Hertford” (see followed by Gough‟s Cave at below). Cheddar Gorge, the Underground Passages in Exeter, and then the Duke of Portland‟s subterranean passages and rooms at Welbeck Abbey in North Nottinghamshire. No grottoes were included. Britain’s best ... Britain’s best ... Underground Attractions Maze

n a separate poll of Britain‟s BC view- I best underground attractions, B ers also readers of the BBC‟s Countryfile agreed that the magazine awarded top spot to the maze at Long- Hellfire Caves at , leat (Wiltshire) , created by Sir was the best in Frances Dashwood around 1750- Britain. It was a 60 as a meeting place for his Hell- curious poll with Jeremy Miln let us know of a pyramid fire Club. Set 90m below ground only the winner that once stood on Alderley Edge in level out of sight of the eighteenth- being declared, Cheshire, saying that “it began life as a century paparazzi, the rooms and so what happened to the grotto sixteenth century stone hut which con- chambers provided a stage set for and maze at Leeds Castle in Kent, tained faggots etc for a beacon, but was the club‟s banquets and orgies. or the Statue of Liberty maze near pyramalised in the 1770s by Lord Second spot was given to the York? Stanley as an eyecatcher to Alderley

Park. The beacon pyramid collapsed a My five favourite follies are: few years ago and I have tried (un- successfully) to persuade my col- 1...... leagues in the National Trust to support a bid to put it back for the Queen’s Dia- 2...... mond Jubilee in 2012 since we know 3...... exactly what it looked like and it would be fun to do the Beacon again.” If it 4...... helps, the bid has our support. 5...... Unless otherwise stated, all pictures in this edition of the Bulletin are taken by the editor or from the Folly Please send your selection to [email protected] by Picture Library. We are grateful to all of the photog- no later than 31st December 2010. We will compile the re- raphers for the generous use of their pictures. All views and comments that have been expressed are sults and announce them in a future edition of the Bulletin. those of the authors and are not necessarily the

Poll of Members of Poll opinion or belief of The Folly Fellowship. 4