under
this Creative Commons Licence.
Sharp’s Folly, or Tower, is reckoned to be the oldest folly
in Northumberland. It is situated near Whitton, a little to the south of
Rothbury, and was built in the 1720s by Rev Dr Thomas Sharp, Rector of Rothbury
during 1720-58.
When Sharp (the son of the Archbishop of York) moved to the
locality he set up his household in Whitton
Tower
It wasn’t a folly in the purest sense, though, for the
tower, after its construction, was thereafter used as an observatory for the
reverend’s astronomical interests. You could see the sea from its summit,
apparently, until the nearby trees grew to obscure the view.
The tower is privately owned so the visitor cannot climb its
internal cantilevered stone staircase. However, as you can see from the
picture, passing hikers can get close enough for a good gawp.
Posts
I visited in 1994, well worth the effort to see a small piece of The North's history... Martin Dawson, York Astronomical Society
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martin. Good to hear that such little landmarks are still appreciated - even if by just a few of us!
DeleteHave just shot Sharp’s folly and would love to get closer or be able to shoot it from a different angle; I think such images would enhance pages such as these. Images of the interior would be both informative and add depth to sites such as this.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see the image go to the following link
https://flic.kr/p/2jC5YpN