T  h  e    N  e  e  d  l  e s
E  y  e

                     Photo Submitted by, and Copyright of :- Richard Cutts of Bolton.

The Needles Eye is a curious pyramidal structure with a lovely ogee arch that is hard to fit into any particular category. Is it a pyramid, some what unusual for a folly, or is it an 'eyecatcher' or even an elaborate archway? The legend behind its construction is that it involves a rather foolish wager made when alcohol had affected the rational thinking process, a situation we no doubt are all familiar with.
Because of this, the legend bears a striking similarity to Mad Jack's Sugarloaf in Sussex  although the legend behind the Needle does not seem quiet so believable in my opinion.
The structure is shown on a map of the Earl of Malton's estate, and as the Earldom became a Marquessate in 1746 it is a logical assumption to think it was built by the first Marquess, then an Earl, prior to 1746. Some sources though attribute it to the 2nd Marquess, so this would make it post 1750. The architect may have been John Carr, especially if the latter date proves to be correct.

The Bet
It is said that the builder made a rather foolish boast regarding his driving skills, in so much that he could drive a coach through 'the eye of a needle'.
This absurd boast could only be realised by the construction of what is in effect a gateway on, what is today, an old roadway, and then calling it the Needles Eye.
My own view, for what it is worth, is that the structure was built purely as a monumental arch across the road that once existed there. It may have been called the 'Needles Eye' or just plain 'The Needle', and someone either for a bet or out of bravado drove a very narrow carriage through the arch.
The legend then being manufactured after the event had occured, also the width of the arch is only around 7 feet, so it would have to have been a rather narrow coach. The overall height of the folly is approximately 40 feet.

     Photo Submitted by, and Copyright of :- Richard Cutts of Bolton.

Co-Ords: 439000 399000 / SK 390990   

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