Tell me where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart or in the head?
How begot, how nourished?
Reply, reply.
It is engender’d in the eyes,
With gazing fed; and fancy dies
In the cradle, where it lies.
Let us all ring fancy’s knell;
I’ll begin it – Ding, dong, bell.
Ding, dong, bell.
(Wm. Shakespeare: ‘The Merchant of Venice’)
Dear Folly Fancier,
Welcome to The Folly Fancier’s blog. If you have found your way here, I assume you have an interest in follies. There is masses of stuff (well a lot anyway ) on record about historic follies but less about new ones, in the last 20 years or so. Yet the folly builders are still at it around the world. So this is a web place where we can record news and sightings of recent follies.
Any built structure is eligible for inclusion if it is fanciful/eccentric enough and shows folly in its creator. Curious garden features qualify too. So please let me know if you find any modern follies worth including here.
Each blog entry here can be commented on by the reader, (you will need to register…follow the instructions to do so). And let us know about follies you find.
Yours fancifully,
May-zee Krakatoa (Folly Hunter)
Please note this blog is intended to be fun and informative, rather than academic. Comments and submissions may be adjusted to reflect this.
The Folly Fancier 
A marvellous site. I think you might also enjoy mine, Shedworking, at http://www.shedworking.co.uk where I’ve just posted about you.
Thanks for that. Please spread the word. I’ll pop over and have a look at yours (shed that is…)May-zee K.
Have you come across Pure Folly? Very attractive site with various modern follies for show gardens. His work will appear in the Shedworking book next year.
http://www.purefolly.com/garden.htm
Yes Pure Folly looks like a great place thanks for the tip.
May-zee
hi there Follyfancier May-zee!
we built a “Jakob´s ladder” in our garden – you can find a picture on my website – see under “8”. would that qualify as “folly enough” to be included in your absolutely wonderful blog?
best regards,
pedi
Yes it looks very interesting. I think I would add some ivy and a large boot descending and call it Jakob’s beanstalk – just a twist to make it a bit more decorative…..
I have just unearthed a folly, a new one built 1820ish please reply i have been contacting everyone
Sounds very interesting can you tell us more – although it is probably too early for this site – which is mainly 20th century follies – I can point you in the direction of someone who runs a website about earlier follies – who would be interested. I should like to hear more too. Can you send any information?
Hey there, I just found this website, and I had to immediately think of a structure at a local hunting castle in my town. I am not quite sure if it qualifies, but here it goes.
It’s the playhouse of Princess Elisabeth of Hesse, and was built by one of the local Jugendtstil (Basically Art Nouveau, though I find that Jugendstil is a bit more toned down and more applicable to actual use in architecture, even if you don’t have too much space.) artists. It’s like a regular house, but in a smaller size, perfect for a little girl to play in. I think there was even a bed in there, but it was not intended for living in, but only for play.
It also has a rather sad story. It was built in 1902, and only one year later, in 1903 the Princess died of Typhoid fever while visiting Tzar Nicholas II of Russia (who was her Uncle).
Here’s a link to a page about it. It’s in German, as I sadly couldn’t find an English page about it, but it has pictures:
http://www.gg-online.de/html/wolfsgarten_prinzessinnenhaus.htm
It’s not quite obvious from the pictures, as there’s no people on the pictures for comparisons, but it really is a miniature house, with miniature furniture and garden outside it. The height of the ceiling is 1,90 cm, so an average sized adult could stand inside it without problems, but the door is a bit lower. I would have to duck my head a bit to walk through the door, and I’m just 1,70 cm.
Does this qualify as a Folly? 🙂
This site is mostly for “modern” follies – in the last 50 years but it sounds enchanting, I will visit the site and see if I can squeeze in something here. Thanks for letting us know about it.
well done on such an informative site! stumbled across it randomly, looking for info on follies. love the fact you are focusing on contemporary ones. I’m currently staying in a city-folly as I call it – Saint Petersburg (Russia).
Dear Phil
I am writing a book entiltled beds and borders, and would like to use one of your pictures of a Stumpery. It looks really Impressive on –line. Would it be possible for you to send a picture of high resolution. I would of course credit the source in my book.
Many thanks
Roger Harvey
I constructed a folly. I call it improvisational carpentry. Juniper limbs held together with safety wire, it has held together since 2004. I store pine straw to use as mulch under it, since pine straw doesn’t need a rain repelling roof.
http://seedscatterer.blogspot.com/2009/07/folly.html
May-zee,
I like your site. A friend mentioned it when they were googling our own little “treehouse folly” (www.barkeaterfollies.com). Ours pales in comparison to some of the professional/beautiful follies, but I think we are on the same plane of “folliness” in spirit :), especially since ours is just a simple backyard playspace for the daughters.
Over the next few weeks, when the plaster of paris walls are finished, and the 100 year-old phone can call the house, and the upholstering is done on the lit ceiling, perhaps we’ll be a bit closer 😉
Keep up the good work!
Barkeater