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Folly

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeFolly (disambiguation).

Broadway Tower,Worcestershire,England
TheDunmore Pineapplein Scotland (attributed toWilliam Chambers)
Built in 1912, theSwallow's Nestis one of theNeo-Gothicchâteaux fantastiquesinCrimea.
Modern reconstruction of the Turkish Tent, a permanent structure atPainshill,Surrey

Inarchitecture,afollyis abuildingconstructed 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-centuryEnglish landscape gardeningandFrench landscape gardeningoften featured mockRoman temples,symbolising classical virtues. Other 18th-century garden follies imitatedChinese temples,Egyptian pyramids,ruinedmedieval castlesorabbeys,or Tatar tents, to represent different continents or historical eras. Sometimes they represented rustic villages, mills and cottages, to symbolise rural virtues.[1]Many follies, particularly during times of famine, such as theGreat Faminein Ireland, were built as a form ofpoor 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 shownfollyin the builder ", theOxford English Dictionary's definition.[2]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 wordfolie;however, another older meaning of this word is "delight" or "favourite abode".[3]This sense included conventional, practical buildings that were thought unduly large or expensive, such asBeckford's Folly,an extremely expensive earlyGothic Revivalcountry 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[edit]

Hagley Castleis inthe groundsofHagley Hall.It was built bySanderson MillerforGeorge, Lord Lytteltonin the middle of the 18th century to look like a small ruined medieval castle.[4]

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".[5]Typical characteristics include:

  • They have no purpose other than as an ornament.[6]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.[6]Thus they are distinguished from other gardenornamentssuch assculpture.
  • They are purpose-built. Follies are deliberately built as ornaments.
  • They are often eccentric in design or construction. This is not strictly necessary; however, it is common for these structures to call attention to themselves through unusual details or form.
  • There is often an element of fakery in their construction. The canonical example of this is the sham ruin: a folly which pretends to be the remains of an old building but which was in fact constructed in that state.
  • They were built or commissioned for pleasure.[6]

History[edit]

The Pantheon atStourheadestate

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 which followed. Many estates had ruins of monastic houses and (in Italy) Roman villas; others, lacking such buildings, constructed their own sham versions of theseromanticstructures.

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 toThe Folly Fellowship,a charity that exists to celebrate the history and splendour of these often neglected buildings.[citation needed]

Follies in 18th-century French and English gardens[edit]

See also:Artificial ruins
The Temple of Philosophy atErmenonvilleinOise,France

Follies (French:fabriques) were an important feature of theEnglish gardenandFrench landscape gardenin the 18th century, such asStoweandStourheadin England andErmenonvilleand thegardens of Versaillesin France. They were usually in the form of Roman temples, ruined Gothic abbeys, or Egyptian pyramids.Painshill ParkinSurreycontained almost a full set, with a large Gothic tower and various other Gothic buildings, a Roman temple, ahermit'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 inMarie Antoinette'sHameau de la Reineat Versailles. Sometimes they were copied from landscape paintings by painters such asClaude LorrainandHubert 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,[7]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.[8]

Later in the 18th century, the follies became more exotic, representing other parts of the world, including Chinesepagodas,Japanese bridges, andTatartents.[9]

Famine follies[edit]

TheGreat Famineof 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.[10]

Examples[edit]

See also:Category:Folly buildings
Roman ruin,Schönbrunn,Austria
SmallGlorietteof Schönbrunn Palace

Follies are found worldwide, but they are particularly abundant inGreat Britain.[11]

Australia[edit]

Austria[edit]

Belgium[edit]

Canada[edit]

Czech Republic[edit]

Theminaretin the (Lednice–Valtice Complex,Czech Republic) was built by theHouse of Liechtensteinduring 1797–1804.

France[edit]

Germany[edit]

Hungary[edit]

India[edit]

Ireland[edit]

Conolly's Folly,County Kildare, Ireland,built to provide employment in theIrish famine of 1740–41

Italy[edit]

Jamaica[edit]

Malta[edit]

Lija Belvedere TowerinMalta

Poland[edit]

Temple of the Sibylin the grounds of the Czartoryski Palace inPuławy,Poland

Romania[edit]

Russia[edit]

Spain[edit]

El Capricho, inComillas,Spain

Ukraine[edit]

Classical ruins inOleksandriiaPark inBila Tserkva,Ukraine

United Kingdom[edit]

Rushton Triangular Lodge,Northamptonshire, England, built in the late 16th century to symbolise theHoly Trinity
Wimpole's Folly,Cambridgeshire,England, built in the 1700s to resemble Gothic-era ruins
The Beacon:One of the remaining follies atStaunton Country Parkoriginally commissioned byGeorge Thomas Stauntonand designed byLewis Vulliamy

England[edit]

Scotland[edit]

Wales[edit]

Paxton's Tower,Carmarthenshire

United States[edit]

Chateau Laroche,just north of Loveland, Ohio

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Yves-Marie Allain, Janine Christiany, L'art des jardins en Europe, Citadelles & Mazenod, Paris, 2006.
  2. ^Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989, vol VI, p4, "Folly, 5".
  3. ^"... and many French houses are still named" La Folie "" – OED.
  4. ^"The Castle About 3/4 Mile East of Hagley Hall".Retrieved4 September2016.
  5. ^Headley, Gwyn; Meulenkamp, Win (1986).Follies a National Trust Guide.Jonathan Cape. p. xxi.ISBN0-224-02105-2.
  6. ^abcJones, Barbara (1974).Follies & Grottoes.Constable & Co. p. 1.ISBN0-09-459350-7.
  7. ^Césari, Dominique."Ermenonville".Parcs à fabriques.Retrieved5 September2016.
  8. ^"The Royal Oak Foundation looks to Stowe's 1730s Temple of Modern Virtue as its latest beneficiary".17 October 2018.
  9. ^Yves-Marie Allain and Janine Christiany,L'art des jardins en Europe,Citadelles & Mazenod, Paris, 2006.
  10. ^Howley, James. 1993.The Follies and Garden Buildings of Ireland.New Haven: Yale University Press.ISBN0-300-05577-3
  11. ^Menzies, Dean."Folly".Hansagarten24.Retrieved5 September2016.
  12. ^"Heemkring hakt voor eens en voor altijd knoop door over 'toren van middeleeuwse stadsomwalling':" Ziet er authentiek uit maar het is absoluut fake "".Het Nieuwsblad Mobile(in Flemish). 25 August 2022.Retrieved8 September2023.
  13. ^"Paradise Lost | Casino Marino".
  14. ^http://images.library.wisc.edu/DLDecArts/EFacs/HomeDesign/hdv09n01/reference/dldecarts.hdv09n01.i0022.pdfSee photos: "A Seat Shaded from the Tropic Sun" (and water tank), "A Summer House on the Hill" (with no walls), "The Bridge and Pavilion".
  15. ^Follies Magazine #108, "My Folly Folly Folly: a Jamaican Journey"
  16. ^"Sham Castle".Bath in Time. 8 February 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2013.Retrieved21 November2012.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Barlow, Nick et al.Follies of Europe,Garden Art Press, 2009,ISBN978-1-870673-56-3
  • Barton, StuartMonumental FolliesLyle Publications, 1972
  • Folly Fellowship, TheFollies Magazine,published quarterly
  • Folly Fellowship, TheFollies Journal,published annually
  • Folly Fellowship, TheFoll-e,an electronic bulletin published monthly and available free to all
  • Hatt, E. M.FolliesNational Benzole, London 1963
  • Headley, GwynArchitectural Follies in America,John Wiley & Sons, New York 1996
  • 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 & Meulenkamp, Wim,Follies Grottoes & Garden Buildings,Aurum Press, London 1999
  • Howley, JamesThe Follies and Garden Buildings of IrelandYale University Press, New Haven & London, 1993
  • Jackson, HazelleShellhouses and Grottoes,Shire Books, England, 2001
  • Jones, BarbaraFollies & GrottoesConstable, London 1953 & 1974
  • Meulenkamp, WimFollies — Bizarre Bouwwerken in Nederland en België,Arbeiderpers, Amsterdam, 1995

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Folly&oldid=1228846800"