Tag: Faber & Faber

architecture, belvedere, Dorset, eyecatcher, Folly, landscape, Observatory, Tower

Steeple Folly, The Black Tower, & Clavell Tower, Dorset: fiction and fact.

Posted on by Editor
Photo' courtesy of W. Sweeney/Landmark Trust.

In the middle of the 20th century books featuring the adventures of the Lockett children captured the imaginations of young readers. One title in particular appealed to the Folly Flâneuse: what ghastly goings-on could have taken place at the ‘half completed and abandoned tower’ known as Steeple Folly? And which real clifftop folly might have been the inspiration for it?

architecture, Folly, landscape, Monument

Follies: the Pleasures of the Journey

Posted on by Editor
Blaise Castle, Bristol, drawn by Paul Sharp and featured on the back cover of 'Follies'

Late in 1963, a series of books was published with an eye for the Christmas market. Three of the titles featured British landmarks in the form of Bridges, Monuments, and Follies, and they were launched in time for ‘Christmas reading, New Year travelling’. Whilst Sir Hugh Casson, as editor of the series, was the big name to capture the attention of shoppers, the real heroes were Paul Sharp who provided the wonderful whimsical illustrations and bold design, and the writer E.M. Hatt, whose bright prose is a delight to read.