Follies, grottoes & garden buildings

Follies, grottoes & garden buildings

by Gwyn Headley, Wim Meulenkamp

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"Follies are buildings which are fun-loving, engaging, whimsical. Some make us laugh, some provoke contemplation, some were serious, albeit disastrous, attempts at experimental architecture. Together with their close relatives, the Grottoes, and their more sober cousins, the Garden Buildings, the great majority of Britain's legacy of structures built for pleasure before purpose has been recorded here." "The variety is enormous: this book chronicles more than 1,600 sites which boast follies, grottoes or garden buildings of original or eccentric aspect; Gothick Temples, eyecatchers, pavilions, gazebos and pagodas abound." "Presented county-by-county, in gazetteer format, with six-figure site grid references, dates and full and fascinating information on the history, construction and peculiarity of each, this companion to one of the most endearing aspects of the British countryside is the most entertaining guidebook."--BOOK JACKET.

Discussion questions for Follies, grottoes & garden buildings

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  1. 1

    How does the concept of building something "for pleasure before purpose" challenge our modern obsession with utility, efficiency, and functional design?

  2. 2

    If you had the unlimited wealth and land to commission your own private folly, what whimsical, eccentric, or bizarre structure would you build, and what message would it send to the world?

  3. 3

    The book highlights how follies range from the deeply contemplative to the outright humorous; which of these extremes appeals to you more, and why do human beings feel the need to express both earnest philosophy and sheer silliness in architecture?

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