Follies are buildings and monuments of various kinds, generally erected purely as decorations. They include imitation castles and churches, arches, towers, pyramids, and even sham ruins. Many of them were built by wealthy landowners during the 1700’s. In the United Kingdom, famous follies include Ralph Allen’s castle, near Bristol; Egyptian-henhouse at Tong, in Shropshire; and McCaig’s Folly, at Oban, in Strathclyde Region. The earliest follies date from the 1500’s.
