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The term comes from the fact that such structures have often been dubbed "[name of architect or builder]'s Folly", in the sense of foolishness or madness.

Follies are usually found in parks or large grounds of houses; they may sometimes have been deliberately built to look partially in ruins. They were especially popular from the end of the 16th century to the 18th century.

The Parc de la Villette in Paris has a number of modern follies by different architects.

1 Examples include

• "The Cage" at Lyme Park
• Lucy the Elephant, Margate City, New Jersey
• Peckforton Castle
• Severndroog Castle, Shooter's Hill, south-east London
• Rushton Triangular Lodge, Northamptonshire (16th century)
• Wentworth Woodhouse, several follies in the grounds
• The Ashton Memorial, Lancaster, England
• Broadway TowerBroadway Tower is a folly located at the highest point (1,024 feet above sea level) of the Cotswolds, England. On a good day, thirteen counties can be seen from the top of the tower. It was designed to resemble a mock castle by James Wyatt, and built for, The CotswoldsThe Cotswolds are a range of hills in central England, sometimes called the "heart of England", a hilly area reaching nearly 300 m or 1000 feet. The area has been designated as the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . A district of Gloucestershi, EnglandEngland is the largest, the most populous, and the most densely populated of the four " Home Nations" which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Occupying the south-eastern portion of the island of Great Britain, England
• Désert de Retz , folly garden in Chambourcy near Paris, FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. (18th century)

2 External link

• Follies in the English Landscape