Follies: examples and types
A folly is a decorative structure, usually in a garden or park, that mainly serves as an eye-catcher or romantic ornament. It has hardly any practical function; its charm lies precisely in its apparent uselessness.
Well-known types of follies
Follies come in many guises and draw their appeal from surprise and nostalgia. Common examples include:
- Mock ruins: deliberately decayed castle walls or chapels that suggest great age.
- Hermitages: rustic huts that evoke a secluded, romantic existence.
- Mock temples: small classical temples with columns, inspired by antiquity.
- Grottoes: artificial caves, often decorated with shells or stalactites.
- Towers and lookout turrets: slender structures that give a romantic outline to the landscape.
- Chinese pagodas: exotic, Far East–inspired towers.
- Obelisks: tapering memorial needles forming a striking end point of a sightline.
Application
Follies were especially popular in the 18th-century English landscape gardens and in romantic parks. They were placed as an eye-catcher at the end of a walking path, as the crown of a hill, or as a surprise along a sightline. Through their picturesque character they stirred feelings of melancholy, wonder, or admiration in the walker. Even today, follies are still built to give a garden or estate its own fairy-tale atmosphere.
Related terms
- Folly
- Arbour
- Pergola
- Gloriette
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