Folly Fellowship
Encyclopedia
The Folly Fellowship is a not for profit organisation set up in 1988 as a pressure group to protect, preserve and promote awareness of Britain’s
follies
, grottoes
and garden buildings
. It organises trips throughout the year to follies and holds an annual garden party at a follied garden where the highlight is the cutting of a cake formed in the shape of one of the follies in the garden. Members also receive an annual Journal, three Magazines a year and a monthly e-Bulletin, each giving information about follies in different depths. Folly Fellowship members include architects, people who live in follies, people who build follies and other interested persons.
The Folly Fellowship has recorded around 1,800 follies and grottoes. It maintains a small library of books and papers, a slide collection, and a collection of measured surveys of many follies. The Folly Fellowship claims it is impossible to clearly define the line between architectural extravagance and "true folly". The group states that usually a builder does not intend to craft a folly, but that this is not always true. For example, Lord Berner commented of his folly at Faringdon
(Oxford): "The great point of this tower, is that it will be entirely useless."
The Fellowship is regarded as an authority on follies. They are also the caretakers of some notable follies.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
follies
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
, grottoes
Grottoes
Grottoes may mean:*The plural form of Grotto .or*Grottoes, Virginia - The town named for Grand Caverns....
and garden buildings
Garden buildings
A garden building is any structure built in a garden or backyard. Such structures include* Sheds* Gazeboes* Cabanas* Garden offices...
. It organises trips throughout the year to follies and holds an annual garden party at a follied garden where the highlight is the cutting of a cake formed in the shape of one of the follies in the garden. Members also receive an annual Journal, three Magazines a year and a monthly e-Bulletin, each giving information about follies in different depths. Folly Fellowship members include architects, people who live in follies, people who build follies and other interested persons.
The Folly Fellowship has recorded around 1,800 follies and grottoes. It maintains a small library of books and papers, a slide collection, and a collection of measured surveys of many follies. The Folly Fellowship claims it is impossible to clearly define the line between architectural extravagance and "true folly". The group states that usually a builder does not intend to craft a folly, but that this is not always true. For example, Lord Berner commented of his folly at Faringdon
Faringdon
Faringdon is a market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of the Thames Valley, between the River Thames and the Ridgeway...
(Oxford): "The great point of this tower, is that it will be entirely useless."
The Fellowship is regarded as an authority on follies. They are also the caretakers of some notable follies.
Sources
- The folly of others http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/gardens/article2567192.ece - The Times October 6, 2007
- Fabulous Follies http://www.bbccountryfile.com/featureread.asp?id=35775 - BBC Countryfile Nov 7 2007