These are the gates of Wimpole Hall,(built 1640) the largest house in Cambridgeshire, eastern England. The majestic grounds of Wimpole Hall contain a chain of lakes, a church, a farm, a walled garden, a stable block, and a folly- a false Gothic Tower built in the 1770s, designed to resemble the ruins of a medieval castle. The architectural word folly connotes “a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of buildings to which it belongs.”
In other words it is a great tacky monstrosity that everyone is now ashamed of but no one dares to knock down. If you are of the classy sort, however, you can feast your eyes upon these stunningly ornate gates, and then stubbornly turn your head to the side when confronted by the folly. (image by Wikimedia)
(via vmburkhardt)
