Abandoned Somerset: Brownes Folly

This folly was built in 1848 for Wade Browne, the lord of the manor of Monkton Farleigh. The tower sits at the highest point of this parish. His land included many vast Bath stone quarries, and it is thought that the construction of the tower was to show off the stone excavated from these.

Other suggestions as to the origins of the tower include that it was built to give employment to quarry worked during a downturn of business. Regardless of its origins, the folly provides magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.In 1907 the tower was renovated by the then owner of the estate, Charles Hobhouse, who had his shooting parties meet there.

Today the square tower sits within a nature reserve which has adopted it’s name (minus the ‘e’). It is a Grade II listed building but seems to be poorly looked after, with a leaky roof and the door no longer on its hinges.