A folly tower is a tower that has been built as an architectural folly, that is, constructed for ornamental rather than practical reasons. Folly towers are common in Great Britain and Ireland, and often do have some practical value as landmarks, or as viewpoints, unlike other types of folly.
List of folly towers + Folly towers Name Location County Year built Notes Beckford's Tower Bath Somerset 1827 built by owner as a library and retreat Bettison's Folly Hornsea East Riding of Yorkshire 19th century Boot's Folly Strines Reservoir South Yorkshire 1927 built as a job creation scheme Brizlee Tower Alnwick Northumberland 1781 Broadway Tower Broadway Worcestershire 1794 Brown's Folly Bathford Somerset 1848 Castleboy Tower Castleboy Co. Galway c.1800-1840 Formerly part of Castleboy country house Charborough TowerCharborough ParkDorset1790 Clavell Tower Isle of Purbeck Dorset 1830 used as an observatory Conygar Tower Dunster Somerset 1775 Cranmore Tower Cranmore Somerset 1860s Culloden Tower Richmond North Yorkshire 1746 built to commemorate Cumberland's victory in the Battle of Culloden Faringdon Folly Faringdon Oxfordshire 1935 Flounder's Folly Craven Arms Shropshire 1838 Fox Tower, Brough Brough Cumbria 1775 Freston Tower Freston Suffolk –17thcentury Gothic Boathouse Gunnersbury Park London Hadlow Tower Hadlow Kent 1838 Hartcliff Folly Penistone South Yorkshire 1856 King Alfred's Tower Brewham Somerset 1760s built to commemorate the end of the Seven Years' War and accession of George III Kingfisher Tower Otsego Lake New York 1876 built as a job creation scheme Luttrell's Tower Calshot Hampshire possibly built as a landmark for smugglers Nicolle Tower Mont Ubé Jersey 1821 Paxton's Tower Llanarthney Carmarthenshire 1800s Penny Tower Galway County Galway 1822 built as a relief work during the Irish Famine, for which workers were paid a penny a day Perrot's Folly Edgbaston West Midlands 1758 Folly Tower, Pontypool Pontypool Torfaen 1760s built as an observatory Siddons Tower near Cork Harbour County Cork, Ireland named for actress Sarah Siddons Stratton's Tower Little Berkhamsted Hertfordshire 1789 served as a weather station Uig Tower Uig Skye 1860 Volta Tower Finedon Northants 1865 Wainhouse Tower Halifax West Yorkshire 1875 served as a factory chimney Watkin's Tower Wembley London 1895 not completed Wilder's Folly Sulham Berks 1789 built as a belvedere, also served as a dovecote
Notes
References
The Follies Journal (published annually). The Folly Fellowship. Follies (magazine, published thrice yearly). The Folly Fellowship. .
External links Follies of Europe Folly Fellowship