Sussex has a number of follies, buildings which are often designed to look like something far more important than they actually are. Some of the follies in Sussex can be visited and others on private land but all are fascinating.
One of them is featured in my series of West Sussex walks: Swanbourne Lake – Hiorne Tower (featured in Doctor Who) – Historic Arundel
9. Saxonbury Tower
Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny, had this tower built on his estate at Eridge Park in 1828. It is in the centre of an early Iron Age hill fort, on top of Saxonbury Hill. It was originally surrounded by a circle of rhododendrons. Photo: Google
10. Tarring Folly
Located in the garden of a private property in South Street, Tarring, this folly is Grade II listed. It was built as a garden retreat by solicitor W. Osborne Boyes in about 1896. It had two storeys and a basement and he liked to work there in peace and solitude. Photo: Malcolm McCluskey
11. The Hermit's Tower
If you were to climb up the Hermit's Tower, one of Mad Jack Fuller's follies, you would see right out to the North Downs and Bodiam Castle, which Mad Jack purchased in 1828 to save it from demolition. It is in a small copse, a short walk from Brightling village towards Robertsbridge. This circular sandstone tower is a Grade II listed building. Photo: Google
12. The Observatory
Another of Mad Jack Fuller's follies, the Observatory is on private land and can be viewed only from a distance. It was designed by Sir Robert Smirke and completed in 1818 to include a camera and telescope. A Grade II* listed building and T-shaped with slits for telescopes. Photo: Google