The Folly was an 18th century English/French idea where a piece of architecture was built simply to decorate a garden or a field. While in Ireland some were used as a way of providing employment, in England they were mostly an indulgence of the wealthy. Many were replicas of the seven constructed wonders, famous castles, and other architecture. Some served a purpose, like a pavilion, but many were in fact, just decorative. There are, in my mind, plenty of modern equivalents.
Pure Folly
There you stand,
once as grand as Troy.
Now your weathered alabaster
and marble refinements are greyed,
pock marked, amd worn.
Your rondels as if ravens had plucked their eyes,
the adorning orb no longer shines
yet the sun has not set on you.
You look tired
ravaged by nature from whence you came.
Even so, you stand defiant
lasting testimony to decadence past,
a vision of something grand,
or, perhaps, a flight of fantasy.
As I ascend your steps to the heavens,
I hear the crowd roar and the clash of shields,
the Trojans quake,
O Helen.
Such folly in a folly.
Β©Paul Cannon
Paul,
pvcann.com
I love folly’s they should be looked after. Beautiful towers in the landscape
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Yes, I agree, some are now homes, many are Heritage listed too.
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Yes, I am a member of the National Trust and love going to visit all the wonderful places.
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That is so wonderful Livinia, valuing history and creativity. Thank you for sharing that.
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How interesting!! And a great poem as well.
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I am impressed by the power of these words…
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The wisdom of ravens. Good write
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most apt description of this old folly, your words echo my thoughts π
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Ah, synergy, after a long two weeks, how it looks is how I felt π
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lol so are you on the upturn yet?
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Oh, well, maybe in a hundred years π
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lol ;(
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π
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Not much different from a gazebo.
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True, except they were not trying to be functional really, though one or two did become functional – now they’re turning into houses in some places.
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I like it
>
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π
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I don’ t know Folly,I knew gazebo.
I searched about Folly,there are various transitions π
Nice π
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Slightly different as these had no real purpose, but looked as if they did, still as others have said, not everything needs a purpose – art and beauty can be good enough I guess. Thank you Nasuko
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Just a few days ago I was watching a programme about how some of these follies are now being turned into homes in England.
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Yes, there was even one on the English show Grand Designs a few years ago where they did exactly that. I know that some are protected by Heritage too, thanks for responding to this.
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Not everything must serve a purpose … sometimes just the beauty of a thing is its purpose. I love the word ‘piffle’!!!
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Yeah, I love that word too. I agree, not everything needs to have a purpose – we have lost the art of beauty
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A very nice sense of melancholy.
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You picked it well, enjoyed your response, Thanks Robert.
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This is interesting. I didn’t know about the Folly. I loved the poem! It’s fitting for the Folly.
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I really appreciate your thoughts Winnie
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Itβs my pleasure.
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Reblogged this on From 1 Blogger 2 Another.
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Thank you Douglas
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