Belchamp Walter, in Essex (but very close to the Suffolk border) is the quintessential English village with a manor house and church at its heart. But on a field boundary behind the hall stands a less common feature – a curious, and very clever, folly facade.
The folly stands on a public footpath, and approaching it along the field edge one is surprised to find a very narrow structure, but stepping back the full facade can be appreciated. The design is ingenious: the light falling on the walls, which break in and out casting shadows, gives the folly the appearance of a more substantial ruined structure when seen from even a short distance.
The history of the folly seems a little difficult to establish. The Historic England list entry (grade II) keeps things vague, calling it a ‘nineteenth century’ eye-catcher. Frustratingly, it is not mentioned at all in the two-part Country Life article published in 1959. The present owner of Belchamp Hall, Charles Raymond, believes it to have been erected by his ancestor John Mayne St Clere Raymond (1814-1893) in around 1879.
Maps don’t give any answers as cartographically the folly seems not to exist. It is not shown on the beautifully detailed tithe map of 1846, or an estate plan of 1867, so the initial assumption is that it was not there at that date. But neither can it be found on the Ordnance Survey map published in 1880, or the updated map issued in 1924, or indeed the modern map. All that is marked on all of the maps is a slight deviation in the field boundary, as shown above.
If the folly was erected in the 1870s then a possible contender for the designer of the folly is the architect Woolmer Robert Firmin (1847-1885), who lived in Belchamp Walter where his father farmed at Fishers Farm. Firmin is known to have designed the village school for John Mayne St Clere Raymond in 1870, with work complete in 1872.
One legend attached to the folly suggests that it was built to stop light reflecting off the glasshouse at Over Hall, a few fields away, and annoying the occupants of the drawing room at Belchamp Hall. It’s a great story attached to a most mysterious folly.
Belchamp Hall will be familiar to readers who remember the television series Lovejoy, which was broadcast from 1986 to 1994. The hall was home to Lovejoy’s friend, Lady Felsham.
The Flâneuse is happy to report that the folly has been consolidated and will remain a landmark for many years to come.
A note on location: Belchamp Walter stands in Essex, but its postal town is Sudbury, only a few miles away in Suffolk. The village council solves this identity crisis with the snappy tagline ‘Belchamp Walter, Sudbury, Suffolk. A village of Braintree District, Essex’.
The Flâneuse is amazed to find that this is her 350th folly story. So an extra big thank you to all who read her weekly ramblings. There’s a comments box at the foot of the page where you can share any observations, and further information is of course always very welcome.
David Turner Rhodes says:
Happy 350th FF
You don’t look a day over 35.
Looking forward to the 400th
David
Editor says:
Good morning David and many thanks. I will endeavour to make it to 400!
Tim Belcher says:
Congrats on 350 not out. Keep them flowing – they are well written and very interesting.
Editor says:
Thank you Tim. I am very pleased to receive your kind words of appreciation.
Colin says:
Wow! 350 folly tales and every one a gem!! Thanks! And it’s not just the follies that are a National Treasure!! 🙂
Editor says:
Hello Colin. I don’t think I can compete with the likes of Dame Judi Dench, but thank you!
Gand says:
350 not out. A total Joe Root would be proud of.
Well done FF. With a nod to the uncouth companion at the non strikers end.
Editor says:
Thanks N and G. You’ve been there from the start and I appreciate your support. I will try not to be stumped.
Kate Dyson says:
Congratulations! 350 must be a record! Keep going. Thank you for finding all these unusual and quirky examples of our mad builders!
Editor says:
Hello Kate. I hope there are more quirky structures still to be discovered and investigated 🕵️♀️. Thanks for reading each week.
BARBARA CROXEN says:
A little bit of joy into my inbox on a Saturday morning when all other “news” is pretty grim.
Keep exploring and reporting back please!
Editor says:
Thank you Barbara. The news is indeed grim, and follies provide a lovely distraction.
Nada Bauer-Fitzgerald says:
You are a weekly joy, dear Flaneuse. Thank you. Long to continue!
Editor says:
Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to get in touch.
David Marsh says:
Congratulations on your 350th. Long may you continue to bring interest, surprise and amusement to my Saturday mornings
Editor says:
Thank you David. And thanks for your weekly posts that continue to add to my gardening (in the widest sense) knowledge each week.
Nic Orchard says:
A fine testament that the country still has so much to enjoy. Here’s to the next 350!
I cannot believe I have ‘explored’ that area and missed Belchamp Walter. I was having the same fun with nearby place names recently, with Essex claiming Sudbury’s environs. It is most confusing for an old person…
Editor says:
Good morning Nic. It would look glorious from high above. Let me know if you manage to see it from the air. Thanks for your ongoing support.
Moira Garland says:
I’d like to echo all the comments, and praise, here. Thank you so much for providing us with a gallimaufry of distractions. I do look forward to more.
Editor says:
Thanks Moira. I’ve no plans for retirement just yet!
Moira Garland says:
Hooray!
Jim Railton says:
How I wandered onto the receipt of the weekly missives, I do not know. But they are a joy. And I think you should “come out”. But there again, the anonymity of the explorations would perhaps lack their fun & depth. Keep roving, with more divergence for the straight & narrow.
Editor says:
Good morning Jim. I’m very glad you did wander into my weekly ramblings, and I appreciate your kind words. I didn’t set out to remain anonymous, but somehow it has stuck and is part of the fun.
Stuart Hudson says:
Congratulations dear Flaneuse and to the uncouth companion. You caused me to find a folly in the Cally Woods, Dumfries and Galloway that I had remained unaware of for my entire fifty years of visiting. For some reason it never seems to be mentioned locally. Thank you for the weekly bit of sunshine.
Editor says:
Hello Stuart. I’m delighted to have introduced you to that folly, which is a favourite of mine. Happily the local dog-walker we asked for directions did know of it, or we might have wandered in those lovely woods for days. Thanks for getting in touch.
Lee Crosskill says:
I too am not sure where I found you, but I do look forward to Saturday morning follies !
350 is quite a mark. Well done !
Have you ever covered ‘Pellams Pillar’ nr Caistor, Lincolnshire ? It’s always intrigued me when I see it but know little about it ?!
Keep up the great work.
Editor says:
Good morning Lee, and thank you. No, I have not featured the pillar and I will put it on my list – but don’t expect instant results as the list is rather long!
Margie Hoffnung says:
As always I love my weekend beginning with your blog. Recently my weekends have had rather earlier starts on Saturdays if I am doing flowers for an event so now it is generally a Sunday morning joy before I get up. Thank you.
Editor says:
Hello Margie. Your flowers always look amazing, and so natural, so I am sure everyone appreciates your early starts. Thanks for the kind words.
Nic Orchard says:
I have a little on Pelham’s Pillar, which Lee is welcome to have, but it really isn’t very much and may add nothing new. It seems to have defeated any deep research, if any has been undertaken!
Editor says:
Thanks Nic. I will investigate as soon as I can!
Colin says:
We do!!! 👍😊
TOM GARDNER says:
TOM (NYC)
WELL, MYSTERY MAN … YOU CERTAINLY HAVE A HEALTHY FOLLOWING.
*** AND JUSTLY SO!
IT’S TRULY WONDERFUL, IN THIS ‘TROUBLESOME WORLD’ – (THAT) THERE’S SOMEONE OF YOUR GENEROUS EFFORTS, WHO ALLOWS US TO ESCAPE, EVEN FOR A FEW PRECIOUS MOMENTS, INTO THE WONDERS OF THE PAST.
FOR SOMEONE, LIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POND, WITH FEWER EXAMPLES TO VIEW, ‘WE’ ( NOT THE ROYAL ‘WE’) THANK U … 4 – YOUR … SHARING.
BRAVO & CARRY ON!
Editor says:
Hello Tom. All I can reveal is that I am a Mystery Woman – obsessed with the mystery of follies! Thanks for your support.