architecture, belvedere, country house, eyecatcher, Folly, garden history, landscape, Observatory, sham castle, Somerset

Knowle Tower, Knowle Hall, Bawdrip, Somerset

The little village of Bawdrip in Somerset was once home to a rugged and romantic ruin. Standing on Knowle Hill, it was built by Benjamin Cuff Greenhill of Knowle Hall as an eye-catcher and observatory, and to add a ‘Gallic touch to the Somerset countryside’. Sadly it is long gone, but it is remembered in local legends and picture postcards.