Comments for The Folly Flaneuse

Comment on Ragged Castle, Foxley, Herefordshire. by Editor

Editor — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:02:23 +0000

In reply to Moira Garland. Hello Moira. I would love to see it one day. I am always happy to return to beautiful Herefordshire.

Comment on Ragged Castle, Foxley, Herefordshire. by Moira Garland

Moira Garland — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 07:35:39 +0000

In reply to Editor. Let us hope this is not the end of the story, and in some future time you, and others, can see the results of the restoration.

Comment on Ragged Castle, Foxley, Herefordshire. by Nic Orchard

Nic Orchard — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:27:15 +0000

In reply to Editor. I hope you do get to see it one day; I am relieved the situation sounds more positive than feared.

Comment on Ragged Castle, Foxley, Herefordshire. by Editor

Editor — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:06:53 +0000

In reply to Nic Orchard. Good morning Nic. Almost all requests to view are met with a positive response, often an enthusiastic one. But sadly this request remained unanswered. However, the family has invested in restoring the tower, and for that I’m very grateful.

Comment on Ragged Castle, Foxley, Herefordshire. by Nic Orchard

Nic Orchard — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 07:55:15 +0000

What a disappointment for you (and us) after your diligent research. It is such a shame that a folly warranting restoration cannot be seen by more than a very few.

Comment on Some Megalithic Follies. by Editor

Editor — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:04:39 +0000

In reply to Peter.

Hello Peter, and many thanks for your kind comments. Daniel’s interest in gastronomy is also evident in his detective fiction – the characters are always eating. There is also a vast amount of alcohol consumed, starting with a mid-morning glass of Madeira and continuing with beer and wine throughout the day. I wasn’t aware of the Dragon Stones in York and will go and have a look as soon as I can. Thanks again.

Comment on Some Megalithic Follies. by Peter

Peter — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:58:09 +0000

What a great piece – thank you very much for this. I’m off to try to track down a copy of “The Hungry Archaeologist in France – A Travelling Guide to Caves, Graves and Good Living in the Dordogne and Brittany”. Food and archaeology – how nourishing!

For another, more recent, stone circle folly have a look at the Dragon Stones in York (apologies if you have already covered this elsewhere):

https://houseofyorkholidayhomes.substack.com/p/yorks-mini-stonehenge-what-to-see

Can be found on Google Maps here:

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.9588374,-1.0620633,80m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDkwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Comment on Some Megalithic Follies. by Editor

Editor — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 06:57:55 +0000

In reply to Charles Cowling. Thank you Charles. I am delighted to know that you met Mary. I wasn’t aware of her work and I enjoyed a pleasant hour or so reading about her. Thank you also for sharing the poignant story of the memorial.

Comment on Some Megalithic Follies. by Charles Cowling

Charles Cowling — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 19:21:03 +0000

Full of scholarship, FF, and, as ever, beautifully written. This post awakened memories. I once spent a day with Mary Spencer Watson. She lived in her family’s Purbeck Manor House, shabby posh and unmistakably the ancestral home of artists — her father was an RA. She demonstrated, inter al, how almost any sculpture can be moved, a matter of tilts and balances mostly. She liked to work big, did our Mary.

And I was associated with the creation of a stone circle at nearby Milton Abbey, not for its aesthetic value but as a memorial for a boy who had died at just 16. The stones came from east Dorset having been earlier rescued by local arty folk. They had used some of them to encircle their young daughter, who they had buried in their garden.

Not entirely relevant, FF, but testament to your powers of evocation.

Comment on Some Megalithic Follies. by Editor

Editor — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 16:09:15 +0000

In reply to Ian & Helen Wright. I am so pleased that you were prompted to visit the Druid’s Temple after reading my post. It is a wonderful sight and I am also a fan of the Bivouac cafe. Thanks for getting in touch.