26/04/2026
Fabulous Follies...!
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📍England (mainly The Cotswolds)
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Well, during these past few months I’ve rather been away from all things IG - a Series of Very Unfortunate Events and the necessary hiatus (from the less important at least) that that has brought has rendered it so. But maybe the seasonal shift, the change from mid-winter to mid-spring, the change in the light, the riot of bluebells, wild garlic, apple blossom in the garden has gently urged us out. By way of a little ‘loosener’ into IG again here’s a collection of architectural follies.
Apparently the collective noun for architectural follies, as far as a certain AI Overview is, is a ‘vanity’, a ‘dream’ or a ‘fantasy’, even a ‘folly of follies’!!! Whichever it is - although the idea of a ‘folly of follies’ really does appeal(!) - these mainly C18th little structures were built on many of the great estates as punctuations to a view or walk - bijoux curios to exhibit the wealthy landowner’s culture and knowledge, fresh from their Grand Tour, within the great schemes of the great landscape architects, such as ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphrey Repton...
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1️⃣ Temple of Apollo, Stourhead - built in 1765
2️⃣ Island Temple, Croome - built c.1800
3️⃣ The Ruined Abbey, Painshill - built 1772
4️⃣ Pantheon, Stourhead - built 1753-54
5️⃣ The Tall Pavilion, Westbury Court Garden - built 1696-1705, restored 1967
6️⃣ Broadway Tower (The Saxon Tower), Broadway - built 1798
7️⃣ Hexagon, Cirencester Park, Cirencester - built 1736
8️⃣ Gazebo, Westbury Court Gardens - built 1715-25
9️⃣ Pope’s Seat, Cirencester Park, Cirencester - built 1711
🔟 The Temple, Hatchlands - originally built C18th, moved to Hatchlands 1953
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