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On the Suffolk and Essex border is to be found the wonderfully named village of Belchamp Walter, and as to be expected it has its own manor house nearby.
Belchamp Hall is a Queen Anne style house built in 1720, and first came to people's notice when used in a United Kingdom television series, 'Lovejoy', about one of those rarest of breeds - a 'dubious' antique dealer.

Photo Submitted by,
and Copyright of :-
J P Zajac.

Lying to the South West of the house though, is what this website is more interested in, an 'eyecatcher', built to 'entertain the eye' as you looked out over Belchamp Hall's 1500 acres of land.

The date of construction is thought to be sometime around the turn of the 18th century, and it is quite a stunning piece of work. However I see it as being more at home on the ridge of a hill silhouetted against the skyline, rather than its location on a field boundary.
Mr. Zajac, who kindly sent in these photographs, met with little success when making inquiries about the folly and said the following in his correspondence with me:-

".......the Eyecatcher is a monster and clearly visible from the road a mile or so to the south. The beast lies along the border between two fields, emerging from the hedgerow that divides them like some ancient leviathan. Built on what appears to be a north south alignment, it has an awesome presence with the afternoon sun behind it. The square tower is on the right as you look from the direction of the hall and is of a slightly different construction to the rest of the arch which is mostly flint work with brick trim. The bricks of the square tower are darker and more plentiful, making the tower almost the inverse of the rest of the arch. All in all very impressive and I'd love to know more about it."


Update
The truth behind its construction ? >> >>  

Photo Submitted by, and Copyright of :- J P Zajac.

Viewed from the rear, with a low sun.

Can you imagine stumbling across the field on a dark foggy night ,and coming upon this stark outline with only a watery moon behind it for illumination?






Large - Modem Alert ! 800k in size.
   455 x 607

Co-Ords: 582400 240318 / TL 824403   

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