Survey Data
Reg No
30410019
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic
Original Use
Folly
Date
1780 - 1820
Coordinates
187049, 220214
Date Recorded
23/11/2009
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding limestone folly, built c.1800, comprising screen wall with recessed central bay and having flying buttresses to each end. Crenellations with cut-stone octagonal-profile pinnacles. Rubble stone walls with cut-stone string course and circular and loop recesses. Pointed arch door opening to centre, flanked by ogee-arched 'window' openings with cut-stone sills.
Appraisal
This is one of several eyecatching landmarks on the roadside associated with Belview. It forms part of an interesting group of demesne structures, along with the Volunteer Arch and the similarly detailed estate house. Sited to close a vista, the simple form and large crenellations make the scale difficult to discern, giving the impression of a large ruin from a distance. This was a common feature of follies erected as part of the picturesque style of landscaping. The approach from the west, however, candidly displays the deceptive nature of the structure, showing the thin edge of the façade.