Perrott's Folly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Perrott's Folly, grid reference SP047862, also known as The Monument, or The Observatory, is a 29-metre (96-foot) tall tower, built in 1758. It is a Grade II* listed building in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England.
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[edit] History
The tower is one of Birmingham's oldest surviving architectural features. Built in the open Rotton Park by John Perrott, who lived in Belbroughton, the tower now stands high above the local residential and business housing.
[edit] Purpose
There are many stories to explain why the tower was built. One is that John Perrott wanted to be able to survey his land and perhaps entertain guests. Or the tower might have been used to spot animals for hunting. Or that he built the tower so that he could see his wife's grave, ten miles away.
[edit] Use as a weather observatory
From 1884 to 1979 the tower was used as a weather recording station for the Birmingham and Midland Institute. In 1966 the Geography Department of the University of Birmingham took over the running of the observatory until operations were transferred to the main campus.
[edit] The Tolkien connection
It has been suggested [1] [2] , but not proved, that the towers of Perrott's Folly and Edgbaston Waterworks may have influenced J. R. R. Tolkien, who lived nearby as a child, in the writing of The Two Towers, after which the second volume of The Lord of the Rings is named.
[edit] Prospects
The Perrott's Folly Company was formed in 1984 to renovate the tower and make it accessible to the public. The company has obtained grants from English Heritage and Birmingham City Council to secure the building.
In the summer of 2005 the Birmingham Conservation Trust completed work to stabilise the structure. However money still has to be found to complete repairs to some of the key features. Funding is expected to depend on finding a productive future use for the building.
[edit] Sources
- A Guide to the Buildings of Birmingham, Peter Leather, ISBN 0-7524-2475-0
- Images of England - photograph and details from listed building text
- This building is on the English Heritage - Buildings at Risk Register - link to entry (Buildings at Risk Register article)
| Buildings in Birmingham, England Highrise (In height order): BT Tower | Holloway Circus Tower | Chamberlain Clock Tower | Alpha Tower | Orion Building | The Rotunda | NatWest Tower | Five Ways Tower | Centre City Tower | Hyatt Regency Hotel | 1 Snow Hill Plaza | Quayside Tower | Colmore Gate | The McLaren Building | Metropolitan House | Edgbaston House | Post & Mail Building | Jury's Inn Birmingham Notable lowrise: | | Birmingham Assay Office | | Central Library | Council House | Curzon Street railway station | Great Western Arcade | ICC | The Mailbox | | Millennium Point | The Old Crown | Paradise Forum | Birmingham Proof House | Sarehole Mill | Symphony Hall | Town Hall | |
