Wimpole's Folly

52°9′2″N 0°3′2″W / 52.15056°N 0.05056°W / 52.15056; -0.05056

Mock semi-ruined castle designed by Miller, in the grounds of Wimpole Hall

Wimpole's Folly is a folly ruin located in the grounds of Wimpole Hall, in the parish of Wimpole, in Cambridgeshire, England.[1]

The folly is designed to resemble the ruins of a medieval castle, but is not a ruin itself.[2] It was built on the grounds of Wimpole Hall in the mid-1770s at the order of Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, the then owner of Wimpole Hall. The Earl of Hardwicke commissioned Sanderson Miller (the noted follies architect of the day) to design the folly in 1751, to then have it later built by Capability Brown in 1769. The folly is Grade II* listed on the National Heritage List for England.[3]

The ruins are substantially built and stretch for two hundred feet in length, and include a four-storey Gothic tower. They, and Wimpole Hall, are owned by the National Trust and are open to the public.

Wimpole's Folly was featured in Slow Horses, season one, episode six, titled "Follies."

References

  1. ^ "Wimpole's Folly".
  2. ^ Lynne, Freddie (23 August 2020). "Nine amazing ancient ruins near Cambs everyone should visit". CambridgeshireLive. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. ^ Historic England, "Folly Castle about 3/4M north of Wimpole Hall (1317807)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 18 October 2016


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