Folly
Imagine stepping into a grand garden and discovering a miniature Roman temple, a crumbling Gothic abbey, or even a serene Chinese pagoda—all built for sheer delight. These captivating structures are known as follies: architectural whims that charm with their beauty while often hinting at a deeper, sometimes peculiar, story. Far from being mere decorative pieces, these buildings reveal fascinating insights into the desires, philosophies, and even economic realities of their creators. Follies are primarily decorative architectural structures designed to evoke emotion or suggest a purpose other than their true function. While often appearing useless, many follies originally served practical purposes or embodied profound symbolic meanings. From ancient ruins to exotic global landmarks, these whimsical buildings were central to 18th-century landscape design and even played a role in social welfare during times of crisis.
AI Summary
Imagine stepping into a grand garden and discovering a miniature Roman temple, a crumbling Gothic abbey, or even a serene Chinese pagoda—all built for sheer delight. These captivating structures are known as follies: architectural whims that charm with their beauty while often hinting at a deeper, sometimes peculiar, story. Far from being mere decorative pieces, these buildings reveal fascinating insights into the desires, philosophies, and even economic realities of their creators.
- Follies are primarily decorative architectural structures designed to evoke emotion or suggest a purpose other than their true function.
- While often appearing useless, many follies originally served practical purposes or embodied profound symbolic meanings.
- From ancient ruins to exotic global landmarks, these whimsical buildings were central to 18th-century landscape design and even played a role in social welfare during times of crisis.
What is a Folly?
In architecture, a folly isn't just a silly idea—it's a building constructed primarily for decoration, often within a larger landscape or garden. What makes it a folly is its appearance: it suggests some other purpose entirely, or its design is so extravagant that it transcends what you'd expect from a garden structure.
Think of it this way: it might look like a quaint farmhouse, a ruined castle, or even an ancient temple, but its true function is simply to be admired. These whimsical creations delight the eye and spark the imagination, inviting you to ponder their mysterious origins.
A Name with a Story
The term 'folly' itself has a rather charming history. In English, it began as a popular name for any costly structure that seemed to have been a rather foolish extravagance on the builder's part. It implies a certain delightful impracticality, or even a touch of madness!
This sense of 'silliness' or 'madness' aligns with the French word 'folie,' which shares a similar root. However, 'folie' also held an older, more romantic meaning: 'delight' or 'favourite abode,' suggesting a place built purely for pleasure and enjoyment, regardless of cost.
Take Beckford's Folly, for example. This was an incredibly expensive Gothic Revival country house, famed for its towering structure. Unfortunately, it famously collapsed under the weight of its own tower just twelve years after completion in 1825, lending a very literal meaning to its name!
In the Eye of the Beholder
Ultimately, the definition of a folly can be quite subjective. It's usually a small building with no obvious practical purpose—or one whose purpose seems far less important than its striking design. But whether something is a 'folly' often lies very much in the eye of the beholder.
Defining Characteristics
While subjective, most follies share common traits. They are typically ornamental, designed to be visually engaging rather than functional. They often evoke a sense of history or exoticism, mimicking ancient ruins, distant cultures, or fantastical structures. Crucially, their primary purpose is aesthetic — to charm, surprise, or provoke thought.
Roots in Romance
Follies began appearing as decorative accents on grand European estates in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, but their true golden age was yet to come. Many wealthy landowners already had genuine ruins on their property—perhaps old monastic houses or Roman villas. But for those who didn't, constructing their own 'sham' versions became incredibly fashionable.
These early follies fed a romantic fascination with the past, adding a touch of melancholic beauty and historical gravitas to carefully manicured landscapes. It was all about creating a picturesque scene, a living artwork to stroll through and contemplate.
The Golden Age of Garden Follies
The 18th century saw follies—or 'fabriques,' as they were known in French—flourish, especially in the English and French landscape gardens. Places like Stowe and Stourhead in England, or Ermenonville and the vast gardens of Versailles in France, became veritable outdoor museums of these charming structures.
They took many forms: mock Roman temples symbolizing classical virtues, ruined Gothic abbeys evoking medieval romance, or even Egyptian pyramids. Painshill Park in Surrey was particularly impressive, boasting a Gothic tower, a Roman temple, a Turkish tent, and even a hermit's retreat—sometimes with a resident hermit!
In France, the fashion sometimes extended to 'romantic farmhouses' or rustic villages, like Marie Antoinette's Hameau de la Reine at Versailles. These weren't just pretty faces; many carried symbolic weight, illustrating the virtues of ancient Rome or idealizing country life.
The Temple of Philosophy at Ermenonville, left deliberately unfinished, symbolized that knowledge is an eternal, incomplete quest. Similarly, the Temple of Modern Virtues at Stowe was constructed as a ruin to comment on the perceived decay of contemporary morals. These were not merely decorations, but philosophical statements carved in stone.
As the 18th century progressed, the designs became even more exotic. Gardens began to feature Chinese pagodas, Japanese bridges, and Tatar tents—bringing the distant corners of the world to one's doorstep, reflecting a growing global awareness and fascination with other cultures.
Follies Born of Necessity
Not all follies were built purely for aristocratic delight. During devastating times, such as the Great Famine of Ireland between 1845 and 1849, follies took on a grim, but necessary, role. They were constructed to provide much-needed employment for the poor.
The challenge was to offer relief without undermining existing laborers by creating genuinely useful projects. So, 'famine follies' were born: roads that led nowhere, walls built in the middle of bogs, or piers seemingly in the wrong place. These deliberately 'useless' projects provided work and wages, offering a strange testament to human ingenuity and compassion amidst profound hardship.
Article
Folly
Broadway Tower, Worcestershire, England
The Dunmore Pineapple in Scotland (attributed to William Chambers)
Built in 1912, the Swallow's Nest is one of the Neo-Gothic châteaux fantastiques in Crimea.
Modern reconstruction of the Turkish Tent, a permanent structure at Painshill, Surrey
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings.
Eighteenth-century English landscape gardening and French landscape gardening often featured mock Roman temples, symbolising classical virtues. Other 18th-century garden follies imitated Chinese temples, Egyptian pyramids, ruined medieval castles, abbeys, or Tatar tents, to represent different continents or historical eras. Sometimes they represented rustic villages, mills and cottages, to symbolise rural virtues. Many follies, particularly during times of famine, such as the Great Famine in Ireland, were built as a form of poor relief, to provide employment for peasants and unemployed artisans.
In English, the term began as "a popular name for any costly structure considered to have shown folly in the builder", the Oxford English Dictionary's definition. Follies are often named after the individual who commissioned or designed the project. The connotations of silliness or madness in this definition is in accord with the general meaning of the French word folie; however, another older meaning of this word is "delight" or "favourite abode". This sense included conventional, practical buildings that were thought unduly large or expensive, such as Beckford's Folly, an extremely expensive early Gothic Revival country house that collapsed under the weight of its tower in 1825, 12 years after completion.
As a general term, "folly" is usually applied to a small building that appears to have no practical purpose or the purpose of which appears less important than its striking and unusual design, but the term is ultimately subjective, so a precise definition is not possible.
Characteristics
Folly
Hagley Castle is in the grounds of Hagley Hall. It was built by Sanderson Miller for George, Lord Lyttelton in the middle of the 18th century to look like a small ruined medieval castle.
The concept of the folly is subjective and it has been suggested that the definition of a folly "lies in the eyes of the beholder". Typical characteristics include:
• They have no purpose other than as an ornament. Often they have some of the appearance of a building constructed for a particular purpose, such as a castle or tower, but this appearance is a sham. Equally, if they have a purpose, it may be disguised. • They are buildings, or parts of buildings. Thus they are distinguished from other garden ornaments such as sculpture. • They were built or commissioned for pleasure.
History
Folly
The Pantheon at Stourhead estate
Follies began as decorative accents on the great estates of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, but they flourished especially in the two centuries that followed. Many estates had ruins of monastic houses and (in Italy) Roman villas; others, lacking such buildings, constructed their own sham versions of these romantic structures.
However, very few follies are completely without a practical purpose. Apart from their decorative aspect, many originally had a use which was lost later, such as hunting towers. Follies are misunderstood structures, according to The Folly Fellowship, a charity that exists to celebrate the history and splendour of these often neglected buildings.
Follies in 18th-century French and English gardens
The Temple of Philosophy at Ermenonville in Oise, France
Follies (French: fabriques) were an important feature of the English garden and French landscape garden in the 18th century, such as Stowe and Stourhead in England and Ermenonville and the gardens of Versailles in France. They were usually in the form of Roman temples, ruined Gothic abbeys, or Egyptian pyramids. Painshill Park in Surrey contained almost a full set, with a large Gothic tower and various other Gothic buildings, a Roman temple, a hermit's retreat with resident hermit, a Turkish tent, a shell-encrusted water grotto and other features. In France they sometimes took the form of romantic farmhouses, mills and cottages, as in Marie Antoinette's Hameau de la Reine at Versailles. Sometimes they were copied from landscape paintings by painters such as Claude Lorrain and Hubert Robert. Often, they had symbolic importance, illustrating the virtues of ancient Rome, or the virtues of country life. The temple of philosophy at Ermenonville, left unfinished, symbolised that knowledge would never be complete, while the temple of modern virtues at Stowe was deliberately ruined, to show the decay of contemporary morals.
Later in the 18th century, the follies became more exotic, representing other parts of the world, including Chinese pagodas, Japanese bridges, and Tatar tents.
Famine follies
The Great Famine of Ireland of 1845–1849 led to the building of several follies in order to provide relief to the poor without issuing unconditional handouts. However, to hire the needy for work on useful projects would deprive existing workers of their jobs. Thus, construction projects termed "famine follies" came to be built. These included roads in the middle of nowhere, between two seemingly random points, screen and estate walls, piers in the middle of bogs, etc.
Examples
Folly
Roman ruin, Schönbrunn, Austria
Small Gloriette of Schönbrunn Palace
Follies are found worldwide, but they are particularly abundant in Great Britain.
Australia
• Eastlink hotel, in Victoria
Austria
• Roman ruin and gloriettes, in the park of Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna
Belgium
• Hassenspark toren in the Hassenspark(nl) in Vilvoorde, Flemish Brabant
Canada
• Dundurn Castle in Hamilton, Ontario
Czech Republic
The minaret in the Lednice–Valtice Complex, Czech Republic, was built by the House of Liechtenstein between 1797 and 1804.
• Series of buildings in Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape (UNESCO World Heritage Site) • Chinese Pavilions in chateau gardens in Vlašim, Děčín Krásný Dvůr
France
• Chanteloup Pagoda, near Amboise • Désert de Retz, folly garden in Chambourcy near Paris, France (18th century) • Parc de la Villette in Paris has a number of modern follies by architect Bernard Tschumi. • The Ideal Palace of Ferdinand Cheval in Hauterives, seen as an example of naive architecture. • Hameau de la Reine, in the park of the Château de Versailles • The Grottoes of Ferrand, in Saint-Hippolyte, Gironde
Germany
• Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe water features • Lighthouse in the park of Moritzburg Castle near Dresden • Mosque in the Schwetzingen Castle gardens • Pfaueninsel artificial ruin, Berlin • Ruinenberg near Sanssouci Park, Potsdam
Hungary
• Bory Castle at Székesfehérvár • Taródi Castle at Sopron • Vajdahunyad Castle in the City Park of Budapest
India
• Overbury's Folly, Thalassery, Kerala • Rock Garden of Chandigarh
Ireland
Conolly's Folly, County Kildare, Ireland, built to provide employment in the Irish famine of 1740–41
• Ballysaggartmore Towers, County Waterford • Carden's Folly • Casino at Marino • Conolly's Folly and The Wonderful Barn on the same estate • The Corrig Spire in Portarlington, County Laois • Killiney Hill, with several follies • Larchill in County Kildare, with several follies • Powerscourt Estate, which contains the Pepperpot Tower • Saint Anne's Park, which contains a number of follies • Saint Enda's Park, former school of Patrick Pearse, contains several follies • The Jealous Wall at Belvedere House near Mullingar, County Westmeath • Waterloo Round Tower near Blarney, County Cork
Italy
• La Scarzuola, Montegabbione • The Park of the Monsters (Bomarzo Gardens) • Il Giardino dei Tarocchi near Capalbio
Jamaica
• Three follies were built on Folly Estate, Port Antonio, in 1905. They are now in ruins.
Malta
Lija Belvedere Tower in Malta
• Lija Belvedere Tower
Poland
Temple of the Sibyl in the grounds of the Czartoryski Palace in Puławy, Poland
• Roman aqueduct, Arkadia, Łowicz County • Temple of the Sibyl in Puławy
Romania
• Iulia Hasdeu Castle
Russia
• Ruined towers in Peterhof, Tsarskoe Selo, Gatchina, and Tsaritsino • Creaking Pagoda and Chinese Village in Tsarskoe Selo • Dutch Admiralty in Tsarskoe Selo
Spain
El Capricho, in Comillas, Spain
• El Capricho, Comillas (Cantabria)
Ukraine
Classical ruins in Oleksandriia Park in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine
• Ruins in Oleksandriia, Bila Tserkva
England
• Rushton Triangular Lodge, Northamptonshire, England, built in the late 16th century to symbolise the Holy Trinity • Wimpole's Folly, Cambridgeshire, England, built in the 1700s to resemble Gothic-era ruins • The Beacon: One of the remaining follies at Staunton Country Park originally commissioned by George Thomas Staunton and designed by Lewis Vulliamy
Scotland
• The Caldwell Tower, Lugton, Renfrewshire • Captain Frasers Folly (Uig Tower) Isle of Skye • Dunmore Pineapple, Falkirk • Hume Castle, Berwickshire • Kinnoull Tower, Perth • McCaig's Tower, Oban, Argyll and Bute • National Monument, Edinburgh • Shaw Monument, Prestwick • The Temple near Castle Semple Loch, Renfrewshire • Binns Tower near House of the Binns, West Lothian
Wales
Paxton's Tower, Carmarthenshire
• Clytha Castle, Monmouthshire • Derry Ormond Tower, Ceredigion • Folly Tower at Pontypool • Paxton's Tower, Carmarthenshire • Portmeirion, known as the setting for several television productions including The Prisoner series • Gwrych Castle, Conwy County Borough
United States
Chateau Laroche, just north of Loveland, Ohio
• Bancroft Tower, Worcester, Massachusetts • Belvedere Castle, New York City • Bishop Castle, outside of Pueblo, Colorado • Chateau Laroche, Loveland, Ohio • Coral Castle, Homestead, Florida • Hofmann Tower in Lyons, Illinois • Kingfisher Tower, Otsego Lake (New York) • Körner’s Folly, Kernersville, North Carolina • Lawson Tower, Scituate, Massachusetts • Maryhill Stonehenge Memorial, Maryhill, Washington • Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, California • The Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee • Vessel, New York, New York • Watts Towers, Watts, Los Angeles