The

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 ...

castle in the park of

Hagley Hall Hagley Hall is a Grade I listed 18th-century house in Hagley, Worcestershire, the home of the Lyttelton family. It was the creation of George, 1st Lord Lyttelton (1709–1773), secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales, poet and man of letters an ...

is a Grade II* listed building and the largest building in Hagley Park. It was designed by

Sanderson Miller Sanderson Miller (1716 – 23 April 1780) was an English pioneer of Gothic revival architecture and landscape designer. He is noted for adding follies or other Picturesque garden buildings and features to the grounds of an estate. Early life ...

for George Lyllelton in the middle of the 18th century to look like a small ruined medieval castle.

Eighteenth century

The building of the castle (and another folly called the rotunda), was started in 1747 while Sir Thomas Lyttelton was still alive (he died in 1751) so he was not opposed to the modernisation of his park with suitable fashionable ornamental follies, but the credit for its creation is usually given to his son and heir George Lyttelton (the future 1st Lord Lyttelton). The

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

castle is rectangular with a round tower at each corner. Only the tower in the north-west is complete to a height of four storeys and an attached adjoining taller stair turret both topped with battlements. The top floor of the completed tower has large pointed windows, it has a "domed ceiling with Gothic plaster decoration, cusped pointed niches alternating with the windows and above the door is a quatrefoil containing a coat of arms". The floors below have smaller rectangular and

Lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural element are typical of Gothic church edifices of the earliest period. Lancet wi ...

s (some of them cusped). The other towers are one or two storeys high with small rectangular windows and built to look as if they are ruined, (this effect was achieved by building the parts of the walls furthers from the castle's bailey higher than those closest allowing sloped roofs invisible to an observer outside the bailey). The curtain walls are also built to look as if they are ruins. The west wall is the most complete with three tall windows two of which are complete enough to contain Gothic arches. Below the middle window is a Gothic arched doorway which are three shield reliefs. The towers and curtain walls are faced with sandstone some of which may well have been taken from the ruins of

Halesowen Abbey Halesowen Abbey was a Premonstratensian abbey in Halesowen, England of which only ruins remain. Founded by Peter des Roches with a grant of land from John of England, King John, the abbey's official year of inauguration was 1218. It acquired two ...

Nineteenth century

In the nineteenth century a single story building with a hipped slate roof was built next to the north-west tower. On the south side the entrance is through a gabled rustic timber porch; to its right there is a three-

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

casement window A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges at the side. They are used singly or in pairs within a common frame, in which case they are hinged on the outside. Casement windows are often held open using a cas ...

with four-centered head and latticed lights.

Notes

References

* Cites: CL articles (mainly vol 122, p 545 & 608); VCH 3 (i), p 131; BoE, p 178). * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagley, Castle 1747 establishments in England Infrastructure completed in 1747 18th-century fortifications Folly castles in England Castles in Worcestershire Grade II* listed buildings in Worcestershire Grade II* listed castles Hagley Hall Gothic Revival architecture in Worcestershire

Eighteenth century

Nineteenth century

See also

Notes

References

External links