THANKS to everyone who has helped with this website (and apologies to anyone I have missed):
The wonderful Mr Folly Flâneuse, aka the Uncouth Companion (for everything); Little Miss Folly Flâneuse (for putting up with a childhood spent clambering around follies).
And to everyone else who has helped in all manner of ways: Michael Cousins; Gwyn Headley; Ed Kluz; Lisa Corby; West Yorkshire Archives Service; Brian Hull; Susan Kellerman; Richard Knight; Patrick Eyres; Northumbria Gardens Trust; Anne Tupholme; Louise Wickham; Norma & Graham Hebden; Moira Fulton; Friends of Thornes Park; Wakefield Local Studies Library; Elizabeth Eliott; Leeds University Library Special Collections; Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society; Tim Lunt, Bath & Counties Archaeological Society; Ashworth Walker Architects; Geoff Stebbins; Tim Cockerill; Susan Benson, Cumbria Archive & Local Studies Centre, Barrow; R.I.B.A. Collection; West Yorkshire Archives Service (Wakefield); Harry Beamish; Cannon Hall, Barnsley Museums; Melissa Gallimore; Mary Ratcliffe; Janette Ray; Fiona Bowley; Fiona Green; Nick Lane Fox; David Lambert; James Lomax; Julie Dean; Derrick Green; Shell Heritage Art Collection; Linda Haywood, Bishopthorpe;
Alan Waltham, East London Group; Susanna Chancellor; Leeds City Museum; Garance Rawinsky; Stained Glass Museum, Ely; Val Oxley; Julia Colver; Royston Bond; Jane Kirk, Tattingstone; Grimston Park Estate Office; Tony Smith; Jane Winfrey, Bonhams; Dr Laura Allan, Severndroog Castle; Jane Furse; David Bownes, Twentieth Century Posters; Jim and Marlene Godfrey; The Masham Gallery; Ann Tout; Alison Brayshaw; John Coombe, The Wordsworth Trust; London Metropolitan Archives; Liz Bragazzi, Durham County Record Office; John St Brioc Hooper; British Museum; V&A; David Freeman, Friends of the Monteath Mausoleum; Gail Falkingham; Historic Environment Scotland; University of Birmingham Special Collections; Mary Bright; Penicuik House Preservation Trust; Neil Jennings Fine Art; Historic England Archives; British Museum; Andrew Wright, Countryside Manager Surrey Hills East, National Trust; Jim Middleton, Scarborough Museums Trust; John Fieldhouse; Rachel Harrison, Hambleton Brewery; Woodies Craft Ale House, Leeds; Margaret Boustead & team, North Yorkshire County Record Office; Hayley Kruger, Royal College of Surgeons; Louise Patrick, Hornsea Museum; Martin Roberts; Lambeth Palace Library & Archives; Sara Basquill, County Heritage Service, Lincolnshire County Council; Sonya Abbey, Fine Art Advisor, The Australiana Fund; Stephen Pettifer, Coade Ltd; Chris Evans, VisitCalderdale; Laura Johansen, ‘Calderdale Culture Vulture’; Kathy Lea; Alex Samuel;
Lincolnshire Archives; Bill Aldridge, Wigan Archaeological Society; Christine Reynolds, Westminster Abbey Library; Louisa Attaheri, Lead Officer – Museums, Wigan Council; Kenneth Dunn, National Library of Scotland; Sam Bartle, East Riding Archives; Dr Colin Davies; Paul Hatch, Libraries, Museums, Culture and Archives, Lancashire County Council; Trinity House Hull; Steffie Shields, Lincolnshire Gardens Trust; Lisa Little, Northumberland Estates; Adrian Sanders, The Frances Frith Collection; Chris Hand; Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation; Dr Alexander Lock; Jean Lord & Whalley Local History Group; Diane Elphick, Sedbergh and District History Society; Dr Chris Webb; Owen Gower, Manager, Dr Jenner’s Museum, House & Garden; Sally Bruce Gardyne; Clare Griffiths, Brampton Museum, Newcastle-under-Lyme; Brian & Moira Gittos, Yeovil Archaeological & Local History Society; Tim Egginton & President & Fellows of Queens College, Cambridge; Katina Bill, Kirklees Image Archive; Matthew Thompson; Josh Flint, Leeds Libraries; Leeds Museums & Galleries; Dave Pattern, Huddersfield Exposed; Alan Davies; Suzannah Fleming, The Temple Trust; Michael Rudd, Friends of Hardwick Park; Tony Smith, Durham County Council (retired); Susan Craig, Estates Dept, University of Edinburgh; Bob Heath, Architect and Stone Consultant; Julia Abel Smith; David McIntyre, McIntyre Masonry; Andrew Clarey; David Blundell, Barnsley Archives & Local Studies; Sally Osgerby; William Salt Library, Stafford;
Pamela Hunter, Archivist, C. Hoare & Co.; Sally Osgerby; Gabby Allison; Bob Persuader; The British Library; Michel Mathy; FRD Designers & Makers; Michael Leybourne, Savills, Dumfries; Simon Burroughes; Henk van der Eijk; Nigel Wilkins & Javis Gurr, Historic England Archive; Claire Weatherall, Hull University Archives; Pat Rowland, Cartmel Peninsula Local History Society; Debra Cowperthwaite, Lindale and Newton in Cartmel Parish Council; Anthony Hughes, Cumbria Archive Centre, Kendal; David Rhodes; James Stubbs; Graham &Margaret Wright, Gatehouse Folk; Judy Tarling; Professor Diana Whaley; John Phibbs; Group Captain Edward Threapleton (RAF Retd.); Warwickshire Country Record Office; Ursula Buchan; Bob & Jane Carr; Sian Prosser, Royal Astronomical Society; Nigel Tooze; David Cross; John Davies; Brian Farrimond, North West Catholic History Society; Pip Morrison; Dave Keig, Hon. Keeper of Photographs, Museum of East Dorset; Museum of English Rural Life; John Malaiperuman; Jon Hatt; Sam Butcher, Hampshire Cultural Trust; Tracy Matthews, Historic Environment Officer, Winchester City Council; Simon Fenwick; Denys Wilcox;
John Rylands Library, Manchester; David Richens; Fiona Barnes; Dorset History Centre; Cheshire Archives and Local Studies; Danielle Czerkaszyn, Oxford University Museum of Natural History; David Bryant; Knutsford Heritage Centre; Mike Heagney; Dan Elsworth, Greenlane Archaeology; Carla Horner, Carlisle Library; Cassie Farrell; Sandy Osborough; Osbourne Samuel Ltd; Digby Harris, Francis Johnson & Partners; Louise Scollay, Archives and Library Assistant, The School of Scottish Studies Archives and Library; Judi McKinley, Buckinghamshire Archives; Kate Bostock, Trustee, Cowper Newton Museum; Northamptonshire Archives; Dianne Barre; Revd Canon David Longe; John Frederick, University of Victoria Special Collections;
Kay Kays, National Museum Wales; Borders Aerial Photography; Kirsty Archer-Thompson, Abbotsford; Matthew Wood; Sue Webber, Elmbridge Museum; Kathy Hobkirk, Live Borders; Michael Tagg, Conservation Officer, Bassetlaw District Council; Deb Bassett; Tom Street, Conservation Officer, Nottingham City Council; Scott Lomax, Nottingham City Council; Ros Westwood, Manager, Buxton Museum & Art Gallery; John Tingey: David Duggleby, Auctioneers & Valuers; John Martin; Ruth North, Bosworth Hall Hotel; Nigel Palmer, Market Bosworth Society; Hazelle Jackson; Tim Timmerman; Jim Farrell, Friends of Staunton Harold Country Park; Steve Jones; Jonathan Plunkett; Alan Terrill; Paul Johnson, The National Archives; Jane de Gruchy and team, Somerset Archives; Liz Street, Staffordshire Record Office; Gareth Williams, Tutbury Castle;
Ann Manders, Halswell Park; Marie-Anne Hintze, Nidderdale Museum; Cherril Sands & Chrissie Paver, Painshill Park; Katherine Marshall, The Royal Society; Cathryn Spence; Gareth Williams, Weston Park; Alison Robert, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Somerset Archaeological & Natural History Society; Isabel Wall, Bath Preservation Trust; Michael Thompson, Davenport Trustees; Keren Guthrie, Blair Castle Archives; Ross Anthony, Ancient Monuments Society; James Goss; Lesley Eastabrook, Archivist, Lancing College; Kate Harwood, Hertfordshire Gardens Trust; Kate Felus; Roger Packham & Paul Redington, the Bourne Society; Royal Mail Stamps & Collectibles; Barry Attoe and Gavin McGuffies, Postal Museum Archives;
Ali Wells, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry; Barry Attoe, Postal Museum Archives; Jean-paul Landreau; Gareth Williams, Weston Park Foundation; Dr Paul Stamper; Abigail Hartley, West Sussex Record Office; Keith Cattell; Simon Green, Gateshead Libraries and Archives; Dr Lauren Padgett & Pamela Keeton, Bradford & District Museums; Sarah Beattie, V&A; Nicola Dowden, York Minster Library Information Assistant; The team at Northumberland Archives; Bev Wise, British Library Boston Spa; Sam Ramsey, Pentillie Castle; Peter Godfrey; Fran Coles, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery;
Malcolm Boyns, Bristol Archives; Cat Doyle, Glasgow School of Art Archives & Collections; Nigel Day; Christopher Gee; Harry Moore-Gwyn; Guy Peppiatt Fine Art; Jonathan Barker, Kent Archives; Julie Carrington, Royal Geographical Society; Jackie Davenport, Archives Officer, Live Argyll; Michael Cooper, Blackdown Archives; Devon Archives/South West Heritage Trust; Hazel Basford, Archivist, Quex Park; Lancashire Archives; Thomas Henderson, Ushaw College Library;
Judith Reading, Sheffield Cathedral Company of Change Ringers Library; Shropshire Archives; The Keeping family/the Keeping Gallery; Ed Stone, Friends of Staunton Country Park; Liverpool Archives; Anselm Cramer OSB, Ampleforth College Archives; Hannah Pomeroy, Berkshire Record Office; Sarah Lerner, Beinecke Library, Yale University; Mourholme History Society; Nico and James Gubbins, Eden Lacy; Adam Bowett; The Museum of English Rural Life, University of Reading; Colin Addy; Peter Leach; Nick Clifton, Surrey Heath Museum; Steve Harris, Gordon and David, Surrey Heath Council; Dr Sebastian Puncher, Sandhurst Collection, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; Rebecca Burton, Archivist and Curator, Harewood House Trust;
Archives & Library, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, London; Brian James, Architects Registration Board; Pernille Mofjell, National Association of Norwegian Architects; Gabriel Damaszk, Raby Castle Archives; Jason Canham, RIBA Library; Kristen McDonald, Lewis Walpole Library, Yale; Surrey History Centre; Armitt Museum & Library, Ambleside; Caroline Kernan; Nicholas Bale; Whitby Literary & Philosophical Society; National Trust Images; BBC Archives: The team at Suffolk Archives; Simon Pearce; British Museum Prints & Drawings; Valeria Carullo, Curator, RIBA British Architectural Library; Canmore/Historic Environment Scotland;
Samantha Blake, BBC Written Archives; Kimberly Tully, Special Collections Research Centre, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia; Hywel Jones, National Library of Wales; Brian Kiss, Yale University Library; Valerie Joynt; Susan Goodfellow, OnFife Museums and Galleries; Sheila Donaldson, Bingley Historical Society; Stewart Ramsdale, Tees Heritage Trust; Julie Foster; John Harries; Tim Kendal; Simon, SAB Photos; Anuja Moreland, The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland; Ravana Eagleheart, Scotland’s People; Michael Symes;
The following folly texts are essential reading:
Barbara Jones Follies and Grottoes, first published 1953 and the heavily updated 2nd edition in 1974. The first text to look at follies and garden buildings in detail.
Gwyn Headley & Wim Meulenkamp Follies, Grottoes & Garden Buildings, 1999. The authors had published earlier folly texts, but this edition was published as an invaluable county-by-county guide.
Gwyn Headley & Wim Meulenkamp The English Folly, 2020. This new volume puts the emphasis on the people who built follies.
The newsletters and journals of The Folly Fellowship are a valuable resource, and many newsletters are now digitised. An excellent index can also be found on the website http://follies.org.uk
See also the foll-e bulletins published between 2007 and 2014, which are available on the website http://follies.org.uk/index.php/e-bulletin/