Folly | Author, Jane Lark's stories

I have used follies in my Regency Romances because I love the idea of building something just for fun, just for adult entertainment, be that entertainment innocent or sinful. The Georgian eras were renowned for pleasure seeking, from the pleasure gardens that people paid to attend, like Vauxhall, to the tunnels and rooms dug beneath the Chiltern Hills created for the Hellfire Club. One of the most popular follies for innocent entertainment at the time, was to build a cottage in the garden. Just a single room that could be used for more simple pleasures like stopping for a cup of tea during an afternoon stroll.

I have used the folly in the images below, which is in the grounds of Stourhead, as an example to make up my own cottage folly for scenes in a book. I have always thought it quite impressive that so much detail was built into something people only occasionally used. But that was the whole point of a folly, it was a stupid waste of money, but it was also, therefore, an expression of how wealthy you were because you had money you could afford to waste on such a luxury.

So when I saw the cottage built for Queen Charlotte in the grounds of the palace at Kew, London… Below. Well, what a folly, or you could say what a silly waste of money. Or you could say what an impressive investment in luxury. Royal luxury.

This cottage folly serves exactly the same purpose as the much smaller version at Stourhead, and I love that they are built in a similar style, displaying the same fashion, with a chimney/s and thatched roof. Just like the cottage at Stourhead, the cottage in the grounds of Kew Gardens, is a place to stop while they took some exercise in the grounds, they may have ridden or walked to reach it, and the servants would be there already with a luncheon prepared. It is not a place where anyone can live, or stay, it is literally for a short period of pleasure.

I have to say, this is not the tallest folly I have ever seen, but I think it well maybe the largest.

We visited Belton House in Lincolnshire in September 2011, and the folly there was the height of Romance. Although I discovered no grand stories about it I just loved its charm.

Set at the end of a long avenue – a room with a view – not a very tall tower but placed on a hill that proclaims to give sight of seven counties.

It is set in a beautiful aspect, at the end of an avenue, both to look at from the windows of the house, and from the folly back towards the house. There were deer grazing in the park.

Belmount Tower was built between 1749 – 1751, and originally had two further arches either side of the central arch, these were removed in the later 18^th century on the advice of Lord Brownlow’s brother-in-law, Philip Yorke.

The building is surprisingly narrow, but internally contains a spiral staircase leading to a room above, from which the views can be enjoyed.

We know that Lord Brownlow used the room for entertaining, he even dined there, having a meal transported from the house to the tower. The servants must have transported the dinner in carts. It’s quite far from the house.

It looks like a fabulous entertaining space, people must have felt very decadent sitting in a room with views from every angle as though you were up on top of the world.

I recently went to another folly used for dining, on the Rievaulx Terrace, in Yorkshire. This Palladian style folly was established as a permanent entertaining space, and better equipt, with a cellar beneath for storing wine and cooking. Its over a mile from the house so there was no chance of transporting a hot dinner.

The whole platform it’s built on could almost be called a folly.

The bank of earth was built up on a natural hill above the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey, so guests may stroll from one end to another and enjoy the view of the Abbey ruins framed by carefully planted trees.

Imagine this on a Christmas day, dusted with snow, and then taking your Christmas dinner in the folly, which was as fabulously decorated as any house.

Views from the terrace;

Jane Lark is a writer of authentic, passionate and emotional love stories.

See the side bar for details of Jane’s books, and Jane’s website www.janelark.co.uk to learn more about Jane. Or click ‘like’ on Jane’s Facebook page to see photo’s and learn historical facts from the Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras, which Jane publishes there. You can also follow Jane on twitter at @janelark