Flounders' Folly is a tower, built in 1838, on Callow Hill, near

Craven Arms Craven Arms is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, on the A49 road and the Welsh Marches railway line, which link it north and south to the larger towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow respectively. The Heart of Wales railway l ...

at the western end of

Wenlock Edge Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England and a site of special scientific interest because of its geology. It is over long, running southwest to northeast between Craven Arms and Much Wenlock, and is roughl ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, England. The tower is approximately tall and square and is clearly visible (on the skyline) from the Cardiff–Crewe

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

, just north of Craven Arms and also from the busy A49 Shrewsbury to Hereford road. Many walks ascend the hill from various points and it is mentioned in many walking guides to Shropshire.

History

It dates from 1838, when it was erected by Benjamin Flounders (1768–1846) to mark the boundaries between four large estates and maybe to celebrate his attaining his 70th year, his 'threescore years and ten'. Over the years following Flounders' death the tower slowly fell into disrepair on its exposed hilltop (it stands on Callow Hill, part of the same system as

). Already in need of restoration in the 1920s, by the 1980s it was in a dangerous and unstable condition; the castellated top of the tower collapsed in 1987. It had changed hands several times and was owned for a time at least by the actress

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, Christie is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

who had a house nearby for a few years. In 2001, it was bought by what became The Flounders Folly Trust. With public interest awakened and funding from public and other sources such as The Heritage Lottery Fund forthcoming, a restoration programme was commenced in 2001 and completed by 2005. At its re-opening HRH Princess Anne,

The Princess Royal Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been sev ...

, flew in by a helicopter of the Royal Flight to declare the restoration of the tower complete, and it is now open to the public at least once a month. The views from the top encompass the

Shropshire Hills The Shropshire Hills are a dissected upland area and one of the natural regions of England. They lie wholly within the county of Shropshire and encompass several distinctive and well-known landmarks, such as the Long Mynd, Wenlock Edge, The W ...

AONB, Wenlock Edge, the

Long Mynd , photo = , photo_alt = , photo_caption = View down Townbrook Valley toward Burway Hill , country_type = , country = England , subdivision1_type = County , subdivision1 = Shropshire , border ...

, both

Clee Hills The Clee Hills are a range of hills in Shropshire, England near Ludlow, consisting of Brown Clee Hill , the highest peak in Shropshire, and Titterstone Clee Hill . They are both in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Geogra ...

, the Radnorshire/Welsh hills,

Mortimer Forest Mortimer Forest is a forest on the Shropshire/Herefordshire border in England, near the town of Ludlow.

, the Brecon Beacons, Black Mountains and

Malvern Hills The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit aff ...

Folklore

There are a few apocryphal stories, now spun into the local and regional folklore, traditionally known and told locally that it was built so that Mr Flounders could see his ships coming in and out of the Bristol Channel (or the

Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

)—neither of which are actually visible from the tower—and that when he discovered that he could not do so because of high ground in between he killed himself by jumping off the top of the tower, or conversely descended the tower in a great huff roaring "Take it down!" meaning either the tower or the high ground. Some say he wanted to see his house in

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

from the tower—there are no records of him having owned or rented a house in Ludlow, where although he was for very many years a very frequent visitor he preferred to stay at The Angel on Broad Street, or the Blue Boar on Mill Street. There are also no known records of his having ships or interests in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, as he hailed from the north-east of England, near Stockton-on-Tees.

References

* * * * * {{cite book , title=50 Walks in Shropshire, first=Julie , last=Royle , publisher=AA , date=2003 , isbn=0-7495-3632-2

External links

Flounders Folly Restoration Project Website

Folly towers in England Buildings and structures in Shropshire Tourist attractions in Shropshire Craven Arms Towers completed in 1838