WHEN ALL IS (GARDEN) FOLLY

A ROMANTIC STONE RUIN PROVIDES INTEREST IN THE SMALL YARD

- Max Denzer

Appearing in the 18th-century estate gardens of European aristocrats, an architectural structure known as a folly became all the rage. Typically in the form of a ruined castle, church, or temple, these had no function other than to add romance to the landscape. They are permanent structures in masonry, not cheap to build, which serve no purpose: hence the nomenclature.