Wimpole's Folly, Gothic folly in Wimpole, England

Wimpole's Folly is a Gothic tower on the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire, England, listed as a Grade II* building. It rises four storeys high and features details designed to make it look like a medieval ruin, with rough stonework and irregular window openings.

Sanderson Miller drew up the design for the tower in 1749 for Lord Hardwicke, and Capability Brown oversaw the actual construction between 1768 and 1772. The long gap between design and build reflects how slowly large estate projects moved forward at the time.

The tower was built to be seen from a distance, drawing the eye across the parkland in the way a painting draws attention to a focal point. Visitors walking through the grounds today still experience that same visual pull as they approach it.

The tower sits within the National Trust estate and is reached on foot across open parkland, so sturdy shoes are a good idea. The walk from the main house takes a while, so it helps to plan enough time if you also want to explore other parts of the grounds.

Although the tower looks like a ruin, it was never actually a complete building that fell into decay. It was designed from the start to appear unfinished, which was a deliberate artistic choice in 18th-century English garden design.

• Location: Wimpole
• Website: https://nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate
• GPS coordinates: 52.15090,-0.05089
• Latest update: March 3, 2026 10:08