Wimpole's Folly
Wimpole's Folly was designed to resemble the ruins of a medieval castle and was built on the grounds of Wimpole Hall in the mid-1770s at the order of Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke. 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 ruins stretch for two hundred feet in length including the Gothic tower and are owned by the National Trust. The Gothic Tower presented a complex conservation challenge for the National Trust. The work called for repair of the structure, stabilization of the stonework and reinstatement of missing components of the building, while preserving the weathered beauty and original ‘ruined’ appearance. (Arrington, England)
