Wilder's Folly is a folly

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...

 and dovecote

Dovecote

A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...

 at Nunhide, near the village of Sulham

Sulham

Sulham is a village in the English county of Berkshire. The larger village of Tidmarsh is adjacent to Sulham on the west side. The two villages share the combined parish council of Tidmarsh with Sulham...

 in the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

.

History

The simple brick tower was built in 1769 by Reverend Henry Wilder while he was courting Joan, younger sister of John Thoyts of Sulhamstead House. Wilder constructed the belvedere

Belvedere (structure)

Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from Italian , which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. A belvedere may be built in the upper part of a building so as to command a fine view...

 on Nunhide Hill so that it could be seen from Thoyts' home as well as his own residence, Sulham House.

The building featured an open ground-level arcade

Arcade (architecture)

An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....

. The painted first floor room was accessed by an exterior wooden staircase. The two floors above ground level featured glazed ogive

Ogive

An ogive is the roundly tapered end of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object.-Applied physical science and engineering:In ballistics or aerodynamics, an ogive is a pointed, curved surface mainly used to form the approximately streamlined nose of a bullet or other projectile.The traditional...

 windows. The castellated top contained a flat lead roof.

In the late 19th century the building's windows were bricked up and the tower became a dovecote.