Architects and writers have spent centuries defining follies. Architectural historians have always placed great importance categorizing buildings in terms of time periods and styles. Follies fall into an ill-defined class of architecture that defies classification. Their inconsistent nature may explain why so many have been neglected, figuratively and literally. No one knows who built the first folly, or why, although the first documented reference occurred in 1228.
An old fashion term, the word folly brings forth images of frivolity, foolishness and extravagant ice venues. To some avid gardeners however, folly brings forth a whole different meaning. The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture defines folly as “a costly but useless structure built to satisfy the whims of some eccentrics.” The French word folie means delight or favorite abode. Likewise, the term feuillée means a leafy arbor. Follies are all of these and more.
Eccentric they may be, but among American garden structures, follies can be traced back to our founding fathers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison. These gentlemen adopted these uniquely European garden structures as part of our national narrative. During the period between 1776 and the nation’s centennial a hundred years later, Americans shaped the landscape while shaping the country. The wilderness offered untold opportunities, but to many of the nation’s aristocrats, bringing the architectural styles of Europe to America helped transform a raw landscape into one of refinement.
In England, follies and ruins are most often located in landscape gardens on private estates. They serve as ornaments to the landscape, pauses along garden paths, and shelter from the weather. Temples, rotundas, towers, pyramids, grottoes, rustic summerhouses, and ruins (real and sham) are viewed as romantic interludes within the stories unfolding in the gardens.
Garden follies began popping up on the sprawling grounds of estates throughout England and France in the eighteenth century. The buildings often served little purpose other than showcasing a landowner’s wealth. Landowners fortunate enough to uncover Roman or Norman ruins on their lands had a fortunate head start on their garden folly designs.
As the British Empire reached the height of its imperial expansion across the globe, England saw a great influx of wealth. As a result, garden follies took on a variety of styles: Greco-Roman temples, exotic Chinese pavilions, Indian pavilions and Egyptian pyramids. Many were flights of fancy, having been built based on structures seen in paintings and tapestries rather than as architectural drawings. All it took was imagination and money.
Despite having fought both a revolution and a war against Britain, American aristocrats preferred the less formal, more pastoral approach taken by English landscape garden designers, thereby rejecting the more formal layouts favored by the French. The landscape garden designs brought back from England, beginning in 1786 by Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, helped define gentility in the young nation. Many of the buildings erected in our nation’s capital, with their elaborate columns and vast rotundas, reflected the classical Greco-Roman structures the English nobility treasured.
Rather than viewing the garden in a single grand vista, like the French gardens at the Palace of Versailles, English landscape designers revealed their gardens incrementally. Plants and hedges were trained, and lawns were molded in such a way as to create delight around every corner. Strollers were led through the landscape by a series of paths and avenues, where graceful curves often led to a folly. Here, a grand or modest structure provided shade, shelter, a quiet spot for refreshments or a place to read. While the gardens were entirely manmade, their appearance was one of delightful happenstance.
Follies were brought to Virginia in places like Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, Oak Hill and Williamsburg. In bringing follies home, Americans were making explicit connections between the old country and the new. As urbanization expanded the boundaries of America’s growing cities, gardens large and small became places for distraction, diversion and meditation.
Even utilitarian buildings like icehouses took on the looks of classic English follies. In the context of American landscape design, domestic icehouses were often incorporated into the designs of nearby gardens. While functional parts of the icehouse required construction below ground, the visible parts of the structure were often designed as ornamental features. At Montpelier, Thomas Jefferson designed a neoclassical temple to cover the subterranean icehouse, a style that reflected the architecture of the nearby manor house.
During the nineteenth century, icehouses were designed in a variety of styles to complement the landscape. Today, many abandoned icehouses in our region are classic examples of English folly designs. Well and smoke houses were occasionally designed with the same aesthetics in mind.
Today, follies are still all around us, even if we do not recognize them. In England and Ireland, where a great many follies exist, a group called the Folly Fellowship is dedicated to the study of what is jokingly referred to as useless buildings. Members tour and catalog these structures in hopes of recording their locations. No such group exists in the Unites States, and beyond the obvious well known follies on historic sites, few of us are even aware they exist. Nor do we recognize that our own gazebos, pavilions, arbors, pergolas, well houses and trellises represent modern versions of garden follies.
So would it be folly to create a folly in your own garden? A small outdoor structure can blur the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces, creating a peaceful retreat that becomes an extension of your home. You do not need to recreate a Roman ruin, temple or rotunda to bring you close to nature. All it takes is a bit of whimsy and imagination, and perhaps a pinch of eccentricity.
Although it may be true that Americans have deep affections for their lawns, unless you truly love mowing acres of grass for months on end without a tree or shrub in sight, then perhaps you might approach your garden design much like the English landscape designers did centuries ago. If you are starting from scratch, there are numerous landscape design plans available in magazines, books and online images and resources. If your garden already exists, consider the scope of your current yard and note which natural borders or barriers currently exist. Think what could be changed in your garden to create a series of garden rooms with meandering paths, trees and plantings to form cozy nooks and hideaways.
Living greenery helps block undesirable views and sounds from neighboring yards or streets, and provides some much needed privacy. They also screen unsightly propane tanks or a neighbor’s shed. Retain areas to entertain and play, and then begin creating spots of interest and seclusion. Consider water views should you have them, such as ponds, rivers or creeks. A fountain may even suffice as a water feature. Nothing dampens unwanted noise around you better than the sound of water.
Other features to consider are seating options. Very small spaces may only have room for a garden bench, but larger spaces may accommodate a hammock, a swinging bed, or a bistro table and chairs. These garden rooms are not intended to replace your primary outdoor spaces like patios or decks, but rather provide a private bower. Then it is time to decide where best to place a folly.
Should the idea of having a folly pique your interest, as it does mine, there are numerous plans available. One need not build a temple or pavilion to create a folly. A single marble, wooden or resin column placed upright or at a cant hints at a ruin. Specialty stone or salvage yards carry new and vintage columns in several heights and styles. A planter in the shape of a neoclassical head hints at antiquity. A vintage iron gate propped between two trees suggests entrance to a secret garden. A bench and small fountain invite visitors to pause and reflect.
If the idea of a sham ruin truly intrigues you, stack large rocks, cobbles or paving blocks to suggest a tumbled down wall. A Gothic style window frame suspended between the trees hints at an ancient structure. There are a number of online videos featuring folly lovers who have built them out of block, troweled on cement, and carved and painted faux stones to recreate amazingly realistic follies. If a whole structure is overwhelming, a folly can also be represented by an arch, pagoda, spire, tower, sundial or armillary.