The Folly Tower () is a

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

located within the grounds of a working farm, close to

Pontypool Park Pontypool Park () is a park in Pontypool, Torfaen, Wales. The park was formerly the grounds of Pontypool House and was laid out in the closing years of the 17th century for John Hanbury (1744–1784), John Hanbury, an ironmaster, who is closely ...

Torfaen Torfaen (; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. Torfaen is bordered by the county of Monmouthshire to the east, the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Newport, Wales, Newport to t ...

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

( Grid ref: ). It is a prominent local landmark above the A4042

Pontypool Pontypool ( ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in South Wales. , it has a population of 29,062. Locat ...

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

road and overlooks Pontypool to the west and rural

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

to the east. The Folly is octagonal in shape and roughly high and is approximately above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

on the eastern hill range of the Eastern Valley of Monmouthshire, just south of Mynydd Garn-Wen. Less than a mile from the folly is the

Shell Grotto A shell grotto is a type of folly, a grotto decorated with sea shells. The shell grotto was a popular feature of many British country houses in the 17th and 18th centuries. It suited the Baroque and Rococo styles (which used swirling motifs sim ...

Early history

The precise date of construction is unknown but it is generally thought that the original tower was built around 1765 to 1770 by John Hanbury, a local landowner and

ironmaster An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a larg ...

who owned

. The local name of The Folly was in use as far back as 1865 when the ''Free Press of Monmouthshire'' described it as:

"...an elevated spot where a Tower (formerly a Roman watch-tower) was many years since rebuilt as an observatory and which is popularly known as 'The Folly'."

It is thought that the tower was renovated around 1831 by Capel Hanbury Leigh. This date is derived from a keystone from the doorway bearing an '1831' inscription. The tower provides a vantage point over the local area and quickly became a popular and a well known feature of the area. In May 1935, an estimated 15 to 20,000 people gathered at the Folly Tower to celebrate the

Silver Jubilee Silver Jubilee marks a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, the 25th year of a monarch's reign or anything that has completed or is entering a 25-year mark. Royal Silver Jubilees since 1750 Note: This ...

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

with the lighting of a

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...

. However, the Folly, being open to the elements, began to fall into a state of disrepair during the late 1930s. Pontypool Park Estate Office attached notices to the structure informing visitors of the potential dangers of falling masonry. Its draw on the locals though remained unstinted and local poet and illustrator

Myfanwy Haycock Myfanwy Haycock (1913–1963) was a Welsh poet, illustrator, BBC broadcaster, and journalist. She was born Blodwen Myfanwy Haycock in Pontnewynydd, Wales, near Pontypool, in the traditional county of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire, ...

penned the following verse in 1937:

Demolition

On 9 July 1940 the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

ordered that, as a security measure under the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939, the Folly was to be

demolished Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apa ...

. This was in the belief that its presence would be a

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

for the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

seeking to raid the nearby Royal Ordnance Factory at

ROF Glascoed ROF Glascoed (today BAE Systems Munitions Glascoed) was built as a UK government-owned, Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF). It was designed as one of 20 munitions filling factories. It was planned as a ''permanent'' ROF with the intention that, unl ...

to the

east East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

beyond Little Mill, Monmouthshire.

Initial rebuilding schemes

In 1946, Pontypool Chamber of Trade led the first campaign to rebuild the local landmark, but the project quickly stalled. Another attempt in the 1948 campaigns started to collect public donations to rebuild the Folly Tower; however, an attempt to get local council funding was thwarted during a local council meeting in July of that year. The council's priority at the time being post-war house building programs in the local area.

Rebuilding

At the beginning of 1990, a number of local historians and conservationists decided it was time to restore the Folly Tower to its former glory. A committee was set up to canvas various funding bodies as well as open negotiations with the National Park Authority. The creation of the ''Campaign for the Reconstruction of the Folly Tower (CROFT)'' then achieved sufficient backing so that the required £60,000 was raised to rebuild the Folly Tower. Contributions were made by The Prince of Wales' Committee and

European Regional Development Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and se ...

. In April 1990, the original

foundations Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

of the tower were unearthed and the original dimensions of the tower were obtained.

Planning permission Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to buil ...

for the reconstruction was given by

Brecon Beacons National Park Brecon Beacons National Park, officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (), is a National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons (), the mountain range at its centre. The national park ...

authorities in October of the same year. In May 1991, 175 tons of dressed stone from the recently demolished Cwmffrwdoer Primary School was donated to the campaign by Torfaen Borough Council. Rebuilding work commenced on the tower by a local building company (Davies and Jenkins) during November 1992. Building work ceased during the winter and resumed in the spring of 1993. The tower stood at approximately 20 ft (6 m) by September 1993 before work ceased again for the oncoming winter. Work restarted in the spring of 1994 and by July work on both the interior and exterior was complete. The tower was officially reopened by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

on 22 July 1994. A plaque on the side of the tower commemorates the opening and reads:

"Folly Tower, Rebuilt 1994. This scheme has been financed by the European Regional Development Fund, Torfaen Borough, Croft Pontypool, Gwent County Council, The Prince of Wales' Committee"

Visitor information

Access to the Folly Tower is via a field which is part of a working farm. Livestock is often present, not only in this field, but on the common land surrounding the council car park. A barrier was erected in 2010 to protect the area to prevent campers and other visitors overstaying.

References

* CROFT, Pontypool, ''Tower of Strength On a Hill of Dreams - The Campaign to Rebuild the Old Folly Tower, Pontypool. Official Souvenir Brochure'', Griffin Press, 1994. Author, Arthur Crane.

External links

Torfaen Borough Council information

Photos of the Folly Tower
{{DEFAULTSORT:Folly Tower, Pontypool Folly buildings in Wales Towers in Wales Folly towers in the United Kingdom Tourist attractions in Torfaen Buildings and structures in Torfaen Rebuilt buildings and structures in Wales Pontypool Towers completed in the 1760s