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Now a home for the birds, at first sight this looks like any other photograph of a once great structure that has become neglected and claimed back by nature.
The truth is though that the builder at the time of its original construction would have no doubt been very satisfied if he had been able to view it in its present state.

Photo Submitted by,
and Copyright of :-

J P Zajac.

The reason for this rather odd sounding statement is that is was only ever intended to be a 'sham' ruin, or 'eyecatcher' (note 1) to give it another name. It has of course now managed to acquire a certain 'patina' that only time and nature can give it, but none the less it still gives a flavour of what you may have seen 230 years ago, when it was constructed.


Below we have the view the Lord Chancellor, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, Philip Yorke would have seen from his drawing room as he looked out onto his folly ruin.

Photo Submitted by
and Copyright of :-

Dr S E Hiles.

It was built by the Earl, the then owner of Wimpole Hall, in the mid 1770`s by the noted architect of follies, Mr Sanderson Miller.
Miller pioneered this style of neo-Gothic architecture, another of his best works being an eyecatcher arch in Oxfordshire, near Banbury and Drayton, the Wroxton Eyecatcher.






A Substantial Folly
The ruins are substantially built and stretch for two hundred feet in length, which is unusual for this kind of folly. Often you only had a minimal affair rather like a film set, ( - see Ralph Allen's Castle pages    ) they are dominated however by the Gothic four story tower above, which is the main feature that was intended to be seen.

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

Visiting:-
Wimpole Hall and its 2500 acres of grounds are owned by The National Trust and are open to the public.


* Footnote - Why is it called an'eyecatcher'   It is a referance to a British expression of speech. If you were looking out over a distant view, and suddenly you saw something of interest, your attention would be drawn to it, or it would 'catch your eye' as we say.

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