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For other uses, see Folly (disambiguation).

In architecture, a folly is a building constructed strictly as a decoration, having none of the usual purposes of housing or sheltering associated with a conventional structure. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation In Architecture, Construction, Engineering and real estate development the word building may refer to one of the following Any man-made They originated as decorative accents in parks and estates. "Folly" is used in the sense of fun or light-heartedness, not in the sense of something ill-advised.

Broadway Tower, Worcestershire, England
Broadway Tower, Worcestershire, England
Wimpole's Folly, Cambridgeshire, England, built in the 1700s to resemble Gothic-era ruins
Wimpole's Folly, Cambridgeshire, England, built in the 1700s to resemble Gothic-era ruins
Wainhouse Tower, Halifax, from Wainhouse Terrace
Wainhouse Tower, Halifax, from Wainhouse Terrace

Contents

Characteristics

The concept of the folly is somewhat ambiguous, but they generally have the following properties:

In England, these structures are also called "eye-catchers", indicating their basically decorative nature.

Related types

Follies fall within the general realm of fanciful and impractical architecture, and whether a particular structure is a folly is sometimes a matter of opinion. However, there are several types which are related but which can be distinguished from follies.

History

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 were blessed with picturesque ruins of monastic houses and (in Italy) Roman villas; others, lacking such buildings, constructed their own sham versions of these romantic structures. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Such structures were often dubbed "[name of architect or builder]'s Folly", after the single individual who commissioned or designed the project. 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. A stately home is strictly speaking one of about 500 large properties built in England between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century as well as converted 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.

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. Laissez-faire ( pronunciation: French,; English,) is a French phrase literally meaning Let do (“allow to do” This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. 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. [1]

Examples

Follies are found world-wide, but they are particularly abundant in Great Britain. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands See also Category:Folly buildings.

The Bory Castle at Székesfehérvár, Hungary
The Bory Castle at Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Swallow's Nest near Yalta, Crimea, Russia (1912)
Swallow's Nest near Yalta, Crimea, Russia (1912)
Black Castle Public House, Bristol, United Kingdom
Black Castle Public House, Bristol, United Kingdom
Lucy the Elephant in Margate City, New Jersey, USA
Lucy the Elephant in Margate City, New Jersey, USA

France

Malaysia

Hungary

India

Ireland

Italy

Russia

Ukraine

United Kingdom

United States

See also

External links

Bibliography

  1. ^ Howley, James. 1993. The Follies and Garden Buildings of Ireland. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-05577-3

Dictionary

folly

-noun

  1. foolishness
  2. thoughtless action resulting in tragic consequence
  3. a fanciful building built for purely ornamental reasons
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