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In architecture, a 'folly' is an extravagant, frivolous or fanciful building, designed more for artistic expression than for practicality.
Originally such structures were often dubbed "[name of architect or builder]'s Folly", after the single individual who commissioned or designed the project (such as the massive complex by Ferdinand Cheval). "Folly" is used in the sense of foolishness, fun or light-heartedness.
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 are often found in parks or large grounds of houses and stately homes. Some were deliberately built to look partially ruined. They were especially popular from the end of the 16th century to the 18th century. Theme parks and world's fairs have often contained "follies", although such structures do serve a purpose of attracting people to those parks and fairs.

Contents

Famine Follies

Examples

Australia

Britain

Canada

France

Germany

Hungary

India

Ireland

Italy

Russia

Ukraine

United States

United Arab Emirates

North Korea

See also

External links

Bibliography

Famine Follies

The Irish Potato Famine of 1845-49 led to the building of several follies. The society of the day held that laissez faire, not a welfare state, was the appropriate form of civil management. The concept of a welfare state was a century away, and at that time reward without labour, even to those in need, was seen as misguided. 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 include: roads in the middle of nowhere, between two seemingly random points; screen and estate walls; piers in the middle of bogs; etc. [Howley, James. 1993. The Follies and Garden Buildings of Ireland. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-05577-3]

Examples

Australia

★ The kryal castle, Ballarat, Victoria

Britain

★ Ashton Memorial, Lancaster, England

★ Beckford's Tower, Somerset, England

★ Broadway Tower, The Cotswolds, England

★ Bettisons Folly, Hornsea, England

★ Black Castle Public House, Bristol, England

★ The Cage at Lyme Park, Cheshire, England

★ Clavell Tower, Dorset, England

★ The Caldwell Tower, Lugton, Renfrewshire, Scotland.

★ Dunmore Pineapple, Falkirk, Scotland

★ Faringdon Folly, Faringdon, Oxfordshire

★ Flounder's Folly, Shropshire, England

★ The Folly Tower at Pontypool, Wales

★ Fonthill Abbey, Wiltshire, England

★ Freston Tower, near Ipswich, Suffolk

★ Gothic Tower at Goldney Hall, Bristol

★ The Great Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London

★ Hawkstone Park, follies and gardens in Shropshire, England

★ King Alfred's Tower, Stourhead, Wiltshire, England

★ McCaig's Tower, Oban, Scotland

★ Mow Cop Castle, Cheshire, England

★ National Monument, Edinburgh, Scotland

★ Old John, Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England

★ Peckforton Castle, Cheshire, England

★ Penshaw Monument, Penshaw, Sunderland, England

★ Perrott's Folly, Birmingham, England

★ Pope's Grotto, Twickenham, south west London, England.

★ Portmeirion, Wales

★ Rushton Triangular Lodge, Northamptonshire (16th century)

★ Severndroog Castle, Shooter's Hill, south-east London

★ Stowe School, several follies in the grounds

★ Sway Tower, New Forest, England

★ Tattingstone Wonder, near Ipswich, Suffolk

★ The Temple near Castle Semple Loch, Renfrewshire, Scotland.

★ Watkins' Tower, London

★ Wentworth Follies, Wentworth, South Yorkshire

★ Williamson's tunnels, probably the largest underground folly in the world, Liverpool, England

Canada

★ Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario

France

★ 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.

★ Ferdinand Cheval in Châteauneuf-de-Galaure, built what he called an Ideal Palace, seen as an example of naive architecture.

Germany

★ Neuschwanstein Castle in Hohenschwangau, Bavaria

★ The mosque-like pumping station at Sanssouci Park in Potsdam.

Hungary

★ Bory Castle at Székesfehérvár

★ Taródi Castle at Sopron

★ Vajdahunyad vára in the City Park of Budapest

India

★ Overbury's Folly, Thalassery, Kerala

Ireland

★ Casino at Marino

★ Conolly's Folly

Italy

★ The Bomarzo Gardens

Russia

★ Ruined towers in Peterhof, Tsarskoe Selo, Gatchina, and Tsaritsino

★ La Chapelle, Peterhof

★ Creaking Pagoda and Chinese Village in Tsarskoe Selo

★ Dutch Admiralty in Tsarskoe Selo

Ukraine

★ Swallow's Nest near Yalta

United States

★ Gillette Castle, Connecticut

★ Belvedere Castle, Central Park, New York

★ Lawson Tower, Scituate, Massachusetts

★ Ypsilanti Water Tower, Ypsilanti, Michigan

★ Lucy the Elephant, Margate City, New Jersey

★ The "handles" on top of The Longaberger Company Headquarters, Newark, Ohio

★ Peachoid Water Tower, Gaffney, South Carolina

★ Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California

★ Bishop Castle, outside of Pueblo, Colorado

★ Körner's Folly, Kernersville, North Carolina

★ Experience Music Project, Seattle, Washington

★ Harold's Auto Station, Spring Hill, Florida

★ Boldt Castle, Thousand Islands

★ Chicago Water Tower, Chicago, Illinois

★ Cinderella Castle and Sleeping Beauty Castle, at Lake Buena Vista, Florida and Anaheim, California, respectively

★ Disneyland's Matterhorn, also at Anaheim, California

★ The Trylon and Perisphere, as well as the Unisphere, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York

★ Philadelphia City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - some parts of said city hall are "follies", particularly the famous tower topped by William Penn.

★ Carhenge, Alliance, Nebraska

United Arab Emirates

★ Burj Dubai

North Korea

★ Ryugyong Hotel - started as a hotel project; is now a folly.

See also

★ Grotto

★ Folly Fellowship

★ Novelty architecture

★ Boondoggle

External links

★ The Folly Fellowship- An organization which celebrates architectural follies

★ Follies in the English Landscape

★ Follies and Monuments - A comprehensive catalogue of Follies within the UK

★ Images of follies on Odd-stuff!

★ European Follies - Book to be published 2007

★ Kasimira’s Castle, Wichita, Kansas

★ (Photo of "Lady Kasimira", with her castle)

★ Folie Fatale - About the pleasure of the folly and the passion for the crypt (folly design and explanation)

Bibliography

★ Barton, Stuart Monumental Follies Lyle Publications, 1972

★ Folly Fellowship, The Follies Magazine, published quarterly

★ Folly Fellowship, The Follies Journal, published annually

★ Folly Fellowship, The Foll-e, an electronic bulletin published monthly and available free to all

★ Hatt, E. M. Follies National Benzole, London 1963

★ Headley, Gwyn & Meulenkamp, Wim, Follies Grottoes & Garden Buildings, Aurum Press, London 1999

★ Headley, Gwyn & Meulenkamp, Wim, Follies — A Guide to Rogue Architecture, Jonathan Cape, London 1990

★ Headley, Gwyn & Meulenkamp, Wim, Follies — A National Trust Guide, Jonathan Cape, London 1986

★ Headley, Gwyn Architectural Follies in America, John Wiley & Sons, New York 1996

★ Howley, James The Follies and Garden Buildings of Ireland Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 1993

★ Jones, Barbara Follies & Grottoes Constable, London 1953 & 1974

★ Meulenkamp, Wim Follies — Bizarre Bouwwerken in Nederland en België, Arbeiderpers, Amsterdam, 1995