View source for Folly

{{Short description|Type of building}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
[[File:Broadway tower.jpg|thumbnail|[[Broadway Tower, Worcestershire|Broadway Tower]], [[Worcestershire]], England]]
[[File:Dunmore pineapple.jpg|thumb|The [[Dunmore Pineapple]] in Scotland (attributed to [[William Chambers (architect)|William Chambers]])]]
[[File:"Ластівчине гніздо", на 40-метровій скелі Ай-Тодорського мису в смт Гаспра, біля Ялти, Крим, Україна.jpg|thumb|Built in 1912, the [[Swallow's Nest]] is one of the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Neo-Gothic]] ''châteaux fantastiques'' in [[Crimea]].]]
[[File:Painshill-TurkishTent.jpg|thumb|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 garden]]ing and [[French landscape garden]]ing often featured mock [[Roman temple]]s, symbolising classical virtues. Other 18th-century garden follies imitated [[Chinese temples]], [[Egyptian pyramids]], ruined [[medieval castle]]s, [[abbey]]s, or Tatar tents, to represent different continents or historical eras. Sometimes they represented rustic villages, mills and cottages, to symbolise rural virtues.<ref>Yves-Marie Allain, Janine Christiany, L'art des jardins en Europe, Citadelles & Mazenod, Paris, 2006.</ref> Many follies, particularly during times of famine, such as the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|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 [[wikt:folly#Noun|folly]] in the builder", the [[OED|''Oxford English Dictionary'']]'s definition.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989, vol VI, p4, "Folly, 5".</ref> 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 {{Lang|fr|folie}}; however, another older meaning of this word is "delight" or "favourite abode".<ref>" ... and many French houses are still named "La Folie"" – OED.</ref>  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==
[[File:Hagley Castle (geograph 2291664).jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Castle in Hagley Park|Hagley Castle]] is in [[Hagley Hall#Park|the grounds]] of [[Hagley Hall]]. It was built by [[Sanderson Miller]] for [[George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton|George, Lord Lyttelton]] in the middle of the 18th century to look like a small ruined medieval castle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-156390-the-castle-about-3-4-mile-east-of-hagley |title=The Castle About 3/4 Mile East of Hagley Hall|access-date=4 September 2016}}</ref>]]

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".<ref name=Headleyxxi>{{cite book |title=Follies a National Trust Guide |last1=Headley |first1=Gwyn |last2=Meulenkamp |first2=Win |year=1986 |publisher=Jonathan Cape |isbn=0-224-02105-2 |page=xxi}}</ref> Typical characteristics include:

* They have no purpose other than as an ornament.<ref name=Jones1>{{cite book |title=Follies & Grottoes |last=Jones |first=Barbara |year=1974 |publisher=Constable & Co |isbn=0-09-459350-7 |page=1}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Jones1 /> Thus they are distinguished from other garden [[Decorative arts|ornaments]] such as [[sculpture]].
* 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.<ref name=Jones1 />

==History==
[[File:Stourhead Pantheon.jpg|thumb|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 [[Romanticism|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 [[Folly Fellowship|The Folly Fellowship]], a charity that exists to celebrate the history and splendour of these often neglected buildings.{{cn|date=June 2022}}

===Follies in 18th-century French and English gardens===
{{See also|Artificial ruins}}
[[File:Le Temple de la Philosophie moderne (1).jpg|thumb|left|The Temple of Philosophy at [[Ermenonville]] in [[Oise]], France]]

Follies ({{langx|fr|fabriques}}) were an important feature of the [[English garden]] and [[French landscape garden]] in the 18th century, such as [[Stowe Landscape Garden|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 [[Garden hermit|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,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Césari|first1=Dominique|title=Ermenonville|url=http://parcsafabriques.org/erm/dErm1e.htm|website=Parcs à fabriques|access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/the-royal-oak-foundation-looks-to-stowes-1730s-temple-of-modern-virtue-as-its-latest-beneficiary | title=The Royal Oak Foundation looks to Stowe's 1730s Temple of Modern Virtue as its latest beneficiary | date=17 October 2018 }}</ref>

Later in the 18th century, the follies became more exotic, representing other parts of the world, including Chinese [[pagoda]]s, Japanese bridges, and [[Tatars|Tatar]] tents.<ref>Yves-Marie Allain and Janine Christiany, ''L'art des jardins en Europe'', Citadelles & Mazenod, Paris, 2006.</ref>

===Famine follies===
The [[Great Famine (Ireland)|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.<ref>Howley, James. 1993. ''The Follies and Garden Buildings of Ireland.'' New Haven: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|0-300-05577-3}}</ref>

==Examples==
{{See also|Category:Folly buildings}}
[[File:Roman ruin Schoenbrunn Sept 2007 panoramic.jpg|thumb|Roman ruin, [[Schönbrunn Palace|Schönbrunn]], Austria]]
[[File:Small Gloriette - Sch%C3%B6nbrunn Palace.jpg|thumb|Small [[Gloriette]] of Schönbrunn Palace]]

Follies are found worldwide, but they are particularly abundant in [[Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Menzies|first1=Dean|title=Folly|url=https://www.hansagarten24.de/english/folly/|publisher=Hansagarten24|access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref>

===Australia===
* [[Eastlink hotel]], in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]

===Austria===
* Roman ruin and [[gloriette]]s, in the park of [[Schönbrunn Palace]], [[Vienna]]

===Belgium===
* Hassenspark toren<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-25 |title=Heemkring hakt voor eens en voor altijd knoop door over 'toren van middeleeuwse stadsomwalling': "Ziet er authentiek uit maar het is absoluut fake" |url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20220824_94556952 |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Het Nieuwsblad Mobile |language=nl-BE}}</ref> in the Hassenspark in  [[Vilvoorde]], [[Flemish Brabant]] {{cn|reason=not described as a folly in source|date=September 2023}}

===Canada===
* [[Dundurn Castle]] in [[Hamilton, Ontario]]

===Czech Republic===
[[File:Minaret in Lednice - se stromy.JPG|thumb| The [[minaret]] in the [[Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape|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]]{{cn|date=August 2021}}

===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|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|Vajdahunyad vára]] in the [[City Park (Budapest)|City Park]] of [[Budapest]]

===India===
* [[Overbury's Folly]], [[Thalassery]], [[Kerala]]
* [[Rock Garden of Chandigarh]]

===Ireland===
[[File:Conollys Folly - the obelisk.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Conolly's Folly]], [[County Kildare, Ireland]], built to provide employment in the [[Great Irish Famine (1740–1741)|Irish famine of 1740–41]]]]

* [[Ballysaggartmore Towers]], [[County Waterford]]
* [[Devil's Bit|Carden's Folly]]
* [[Casino at Marino]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://casinomarino.ie/exhibitions/paradise-lost/ | title=Paradise Lost &#124; Casino Marino }}</ref>
* [[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 and Gardens|Belvedere House]] near Mullingar, County Westmeath
* [[Waterloo Round Tower]] near Blarney, County Cork

===Italy===
* [[La Scarzuola]], [[Montegabbione]]
* The [[Park of the Monsters]] (Bomarzo Gardens)
* [[Giardino dei Tarocchi|Il Giardino dei Tarocchi]] near [[Capalbio]]

===Jamaica===
* Three follies were built on Folly Estate, Port Antonio, in 1905. They are now in ruins.<ref>http://images.library.wisc.edu/DLDecArts/EFacs/HomeDesign/hdv09n01/reference/dldecarts.hdv09n01.i0022.pdf See photos: "A Seat Shaded from the Tropic Sun" (and water tank), "A Summer House on the Hill" (with no walls), "The Bridge and Pavilion".</ref>{{failed verification|reason=Source does not mention follies, nor do these appear to be follies|date=October 2020}}<ref>Follies Magazine #108, "My Folly Folly Folly: a Jamaican Journey"</ref>

===Malta===
[[File:Malta - Lija - Vjal it-Transfigurazzjoni - Belvedere 01 ies.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Lija Belvedere Tower]] in [[Malta]]]]

*[[Lija Belvedere Tower]]

===Poland===
[[File:Pulawy swiatynia sybilli.jpg|thumb|upright|[[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 [[Petergof|Peterhof]], [[Tsarskoe Selo]], [[Gatchina]], and [[Tsaritsyno District|Tsaritsino]]
* [[Creaking Pagoda]] and [[Chinese Village (Tsarskoe Selo)|Chinese Village]] in Tsarskoe Selo
* [[Dutch Admiralty]] in Tsarskoe Selo

===Spain===
[[File:El Capricho Gaudí 02.jpg|thumb|[[El Capricho]], in [[Comillas]], Spain]]

* [[El Capricho]], [[Comillas]] ([[Cantabria]])

===Ukraine===
[[File:Oleksandriia Park in Bila Tserkva.jpg|thumb|Classical ruins in [[Oleksandriia]] Park in [[Bila Tserkva]], Ukraine]]

* Ruins in [[Arboretum Oleksandriya|Oleksandriia]], [[Bila Tserkva]]

===United Kingdom===
====England====
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* [[Ashton Memorial]], [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]]
* [[Barwick, Somerset#Barwick Park follies|Barwick Park follies]], Barwick, Somerset
* [[Beckford's Tower]], [[Somerset]]
* [[Blaise Castle Estate|Blaise Castle]], [[Bristol]]
* [[Broadway Tower, Worcestershire|Broadway Tower]], [[Cotswolds|The Cotswolds]]
* [[Bettison's Folly]], [[Hornsea]]
* [[Black Castle Public House]], [[Bristol]]
* [[Brizlee Tower]], Northumberland
* [[Browne's Folly (tower)|Browne's Folly]], [[Bathford]], [[Somerset]]
* The Cage at [[Lyme Park]], [[Cheshire]]
* The Castle at [[Roundhay Park]], [[West Yorkshire]]
* [[Chilton Priory]], Somerset
* [[Clavell Tower]], [[Dorset]]
* [[Conygar Tower]], [[Dunster]], Somerset
* [[Cranmore Tower]], [[Cranmore, Somerset|Cranmore]], Somerset
* [[Culloden Tower]], [[Richmond, North Yorkshire|Richmond]], [[North Yorkshire]]
* [[Faringdon#Faringdon Folly|Faringdon Folly]], [[Faringdon]], [[Oxfordshire]]
* [[Flounders' Folly]], [[Shropshire]]
* [[Forbidden Corner]], [[North Yorkshire]]
* [[Freston Tower]], arguably England's oldest folly, near [[Ipswich]], [[Suffolk]]
* [[Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare]], Hampton
* Gothic Tower at [[Goldney Hall]], [[Bristol]]
* The [[Great Pagoda, Kew Gardens]], London¨
* [[Hadlow Castle#Tower|Hadlow Tower]], Hadlow, [[Kent]]
* [[Hardwick Hall Country Park]], [[County Durham]] contains several restored follies
* [[Hawkstone Park]], follies and gardens in [[Shropshire]]
* Hiorne's Tower, [[Arundel Castle]], [[West Sussex]]
* Horton Tower, [[Dorset]]
* [[King Alfred's Tower]], [[Stourhead]], Somerset
* [[Lund's Tower]], [[Sutton-in-Craven]], North Yorkshire
* [[Luttrell's Tower]], [[Fawley, Hampshire|Fawley]], [[Hampshire]]
* [[Mow Cop Castle]], [[Staffordshire]]
*[[Nab End Tower]], [[Longwood, Huddersfield|Longwood]], [[West Yorkshire]]
* [[Old John]], [[Bradgate Park]], [[Leicestershire]]
* [[Painshill]], [[Cobham, Surrey]], an 18th-century [[landscape garden]] with several follies, some modern reconstructions
* [[Penshaw Monument]], [[Penshaw]], [[City of Sunderland|Sunderland]]
* [[Pelham's Pillar]], [[Caistor]], [[North Lincolnshire]]
* [[Perrott's Folly]], [[Birmingham]]
* Pope's Grotto, [[Twickenham]], South West [[London]]
* [[Prospect Tower]], [[Calstock]], [[Cornwall]]
* [[Racton Monument]], [[West Sussex]]
* [https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101312795-rogers-tower-ludgvan#.YOWHBS1Q041 Rogers' Tower][[Ludgvan]]
* The Ruined Arch at the [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]], London
* [[Rushton Triangular Lodge]], [[Northamptonshire]] (16th century)
* [[Severndroog Castle]], [[Shooter's Hill]], south-east [[London]]
* [[Sham Castle]], Bathwick Hill, [[Bath, Somerset]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathintime.co.uk/image.php?id=262674&idx=14&fromsearch=true |title=Sham Castle |publisher=Bath in Time |date=2007-02-08 |access-date=2012-11-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524051448/http://www.bathintime.co.uk/image.php?id=262674&idx=14&fromsearch=true |archive-date=2013-05-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The [[Sledmere Cross]] takes the form of an [[Eleanor Cross]] and is a true 'folly' that was 'converted' to a [[World War I]] Memorial
* [[Solomon's Temple, Buxton|Solomon's Temple]], [[Buxton]], Derbyshire
* [[Wentworth Castle#The first earl.27s landscape|Stainborough Castle]], [[South Yorkshire]]
* Two of the follies in [[Staunton Country Park]] have survived until the present day
* [[Stowe School]] has several follies in the grounds
* [[Sway (village)#Sway Tower|Sway Tower]], [[New Forest]]
* [[Tattingstone Wonder]], near [[Ipswich]], [[Suffolk]]
* [[Wainhouse Tower]], the tallest folly in the world, [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]], [[West Yorkshire]]
* [[Wentworth Woodhouse#Follies and garden buildings|Wentworth Woodhouse]], [[Wentworth, South Yorkshire|Wentworth]], [[South Yorkshire]]
* [[Wilder's Folly]], [[Sulham]], [[Berkshire]]
* [[Williamson Tunnels]], probably the largest underground folly in the world, [[Liverpool]]
* [[Wimpole's Folly|Wimpole’s Folly]], [[Cambridgeshire]]
}}

<gallery widths=200 heights=200>
File:RushtonTriangularLodge.jpg|[[Rushton Triangular Lodge]], Northamptonshire, England, built in the late 16th century to symbolise the [[Holy Trinity]]
File:Wimpole folly (1).jpg|[[Wimpole's Folly]], [[Cambridgeshire]], England, built in the 1700s to resemble Gothic-era ruins
File:The Beacon Staunton Country Park.JPG|''The Beacon'': One of the remaining follies at [[Staunton Country Park]] originally commissioned by [[George Thomas Staunton]] and designed by [[Lewis Vulliamy]]
</gallery>

====Scotland====
* The Caldwell Tower, [[Lugton]], [[Renfrewshire]]
* Captain Frasers Folly ([[Uig Tower]]) Isle of Skye
* [[Dunmore Pineapple]], [[Falkirk]]
* [[Hume Castle]], [[Berwickshire]]
* [[Kinnoull Hill|Kinnoull Hill Tower]], [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]]
* [[McCaig's Tower]], [[Oban]], Argyll and Bute
* [[National Monument, Edinburgh|National Monument]], [[Edinburgh]]
* [[Shaw Monument]], [[Prestwick]]
* The Temple near [[Castle Semple Loch]], [[Renfrewshire]]

====Wales====
[[File:Paxton's Tower - Carmarthenshire (5369178381).jpg|thumb|[[Paxton's Tower]], Carmarthenshire]]

* [[Clytha Castle]], [[Monmouthshire]]
* [[Derry Ormond Tower]], [[Ceredigion]]
* [[Folly Tower, Pontypool|Folly Tower]] at [[Pontypool]]
* [[Paxton's Tower]], [[Carmarthenshire]]
* [[Portmeirion]], known as the setting for several television productions including ''[[The Prisoner]]'' series{{cn|reason=not described as a folly in article|date=September 2023}}
* [[Gwrych Castle]], [[Conwy County Borough]]

===United States===
[[File:Loveland Castle (9).jpg|thumb|[[Chateau Laroche]], just north of Loveland, Ohio]]

* [[Bancroft Tower]], [[Worcester, Massachusetts]]
* [[Belvedere Castle]], [[New York City]]
* [[Bishop Castle]], outside of [[Pueblo, Colorado]]
* [[Coral Castle]], [[Homestead, Florida]]
* [[Hofmann Tower]] in [[Lyons, Illinois]]
* [[Kingfisher Tower]], [[Otsego Lake (New York)]]
* [[Korner's Folly|Körner’s Folly]], [[Kernersville, North Carolina]]
* [[Lawson Tower]], [[Scituate, Massachusetts]]
* [https://newmanscastle.com/ Newman's Castle], Bellville, Texas
* [[Parthenon (Nashville)|The Parthenon]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]
* [[Vessel (structure)|Vessel]], [[New York, New York]]
* [[Watts Towers]], [[Watts, Los Angeles]]

==See also==
* [[English garden]]
* [[Folly Fellowship]]
* [[French landscape garden]]
* [[Garden hermit]]
* [[Goat tower]]
* [[Grotto]]
* [[List of garden features]]
* [[Lustschloss]]
* [[Novelty architecture]]
* [[Ruin value]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* Barlow, Nick, et al. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060711233348/http://europeanfollies.com/ Follies of Europe]'', Garden Art Press, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-870673-56-3}}
* 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. ''Architectural 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, James. ''The Follies and Garden Buildings of Ireland'' Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 1993
* Jackson, Hazelle. ''Shellhouses and Grottoes'', Shire Books, England, 2001
* Jones, Barbara. ''Follies & Grottoes'' Constable, London 1953 & 1974
* Meulenkamp, Wim. ''Follies — Bizarre Bouwwerken in Nederland en België'', Arbeiderpers, Amsterdam, 1995
* Stewart, David. "Political Ruins: Gothic Sham Ruins and the '45." ''Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians''. Vol. 55, No. 4 (Dec. 1996), pp. 400-411.
{{div col end}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Follies (architecture)}}

{{Garden features}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Folly buildings| ]]
[[Category:Building types]]
[[Category:Landscape garden features]]
[[Category:Landscape design history]]