The Folly Tower, Pontypool - South Wales...
The tower was built c.1765 by John Hanbury Esq. of Park House, Pontypool. It served no practical purpose in that it had no floor or roof originally. It is said that it was fashionable at the time for landed gentlemen to build to 1,000 ft high, and the tower was built on the highest part of the ridge in order to achieve this. It was however 2ft short when completed! It commands views of both the rugged and beautiful parts of Gwent and it is said that no fewer than seven counties are visible from the tower on a clear day.
On 9th July 1940 at the onset of the 2nd World War, this famous landmark was demolished by order of the Ministry of Defence. It was feared that it would guide German bombers to the nearby Royal Ordnance factory at Glascoed.
In 1990, a number of prominent local historians and conservationists decided that the time was right to try to restore the Folly Tower and a committee was formed to apply to various funding bodies as well as open negotiations with the National Park Authority.
On 22nd July 1994, the Prince of Wales performed the official opening ceremony and the Folly Tower once again stood proudly on the ridge as a landmark for all.
♫Music By♫
●Nana & Marin – OK –
●Twitter –
●Soundcloud –
●Twitter –
●Soundcloud –
Roaming The Ruins - Folly Tower, Pontypool
My explores take me to Pontypool this time and to Folly Tower. A tower that was demolished in World War 2 as they would it would be too much of a landmark to attack nearby bases.
Links:
Facebook page:
Twitter:
PONTYPOOL FOLLY TOWER TOREAN PHANTOM 3 ADVANCED
Phantom 3 advanced the folly pontypool
Places to see in ( Pontypool - UK )
Places to see in ( Pontypool - UK )
Pontypool is a town that is home to approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It is situated on the Afon Lwyd river in the county borough of Torfaen. Situated on the eastern edge of the South Wales coalfields, Pontypool grew around industries including iron and steel production, coal mining and the growth of the railways. A rather artistic manufacturing industry which also flourished here alongside heavy industry was Japanning, a type of lacquer ware.
Pontypool itself consists of several smaller districts, these include Abersychan, Cwmffrwdoer, Pontnewynydd, Trevethin, Penygarn, Wainfelin, Tranch, Brynwern, Pontymoile, Blaendare, Cwmynyscoy, New Inn, Griffithstown and Sebastopol.
Pontypool has a notable history as one of the earliest industrial towns in Wales. The town and its immediate surroundings were home to significant industrial and technological innovations, with links to the iron industry dating back to the early fifteenth century when a bloomery furnace was established at Pontymoile. During the sixteenth century, largely due to the influence of the Hanbury family, the area developed its association with the iron industry and continued to consolidate its position in the seventeenth century, when the development of the town began in earnest. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the metallurgical and extractive industries of the area, along with the development of the canals and railways, provided the impetus to the expansion of Pontypool and its surrounding villages and communities.
The construction of the Monmouthshire Canal during the 1790s connected Pontnewynydd to Newport and later connected with the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal at Pontymoile in 1812. Tramroads leading from industrial areas within an eight-mile radius of the canal converged at either Pontnewynydd or Pontymoile.
The tramroads and canals were superseded by the railways in the mid-nineteenth century. From 1845, work commenced on establishing a railway from Pontypool to Newport. The line opened to passengers in 1852 and connected with Blaenavon in 1854. It eventually came under the management of the Great Western Railway. Another line was constructed during the 1860s and 1870s to connect Pontypool with Newport via Caerleon. Connections were also made with Abergavenny, Hereford and the Taff Vale. Pontypool had three railway stations, namely Crane Street, Clarence Street and Pontypool Road. Line closures during the 1960s greatly reduced the valley's railway connections, which were replaced by modern roads. The only passenger line still operating within Pontypool is at an unmanned station in New Inn. Pontypool & New Inn station is on the Welsh Marches Line with trains provided by Arriva Trains Wales.
Pontypool is well known for its extensive park. Pontypool Park was the historic seat of the Hanbury family, who developed a permanent residence in Pontypool in c. 1694 and, under the direction of Major John Hanbury, subsequently established a deer park in the early 1700s. The park became a venue for recreation and enjoyment for the Hanbury family and their associates.
( Pontypool - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Pontypool . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Pontypool - UK
Join us for more :
Sunset at Wilder's Folly on Nunhide Hill, Sulham
Sunset at Wilder's Folly on Nunhide Hill, Sulham
Wilder's Folly on Nunhide Hill
(also known as Pincent's Kiln, Nunhide Tower, Pigeon Tower and Flint's Folly)
Wilder's Folly / dovecote at Nunhide near the village of Sulham ( Sulham estate ) just outside the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.
Originally built as a belvedere in 1769 by Reverend Henry Wilder while he was courting Joan, younger sister of John Thoyts of Sulhamstead House
from here you have great views of Nunhide, Pincent Manor, Sulham, Theale and Sulhamstead
it is easily accessible from Theale, Tilehurst, Calcot and Sulham hill
Created on cyberlink powerdirector 14 media suite
Shot with a DJI phantom 3 advanced drone P3A in 2.7K UAV
DJI GO app on a IPhone 7
Everyone…. If you have any ideas or places you can think of or would like to see via drone view, please leave a comment below.
As Always:
please subscribe to my YouTube channel
please like my Video's
and post your comments below.
many thanks.
Folly and Grotto - Day Out in Wales
Visit to the Shell Grotto and Folly in Pontypool, Wales with my mother, nephews and their dog.
The Folly was built in the18th century but demolished before WWII so it wouldn't be a landmark for bombers seeking a nearby munitions factory. A public fund was created to rebuild it, using the original stones and it was restored in the 1990s and opened by Prince Charles.
The Shell Grotto is a short walk from the Folly, both are on the edges of Pontypool Park and the Brecon Beacons.
The grotto used to be the home of a series of paid 'hermits' who would add to the decorations with stones, shells and bones. The Hanbury family, who owned the land that is now the park, used to visit periodically to imagine themselves living in a bucolic, pastoral arcadia.
Music by Kevin MacLeod of incompetech, used with licence.
Pendragon Fireworks@Pancreatic cancer awareness night at the folly tower Pontypool
Pendragon Fireworks@Pancreatic cancer awareness night at the folly tower Pontypool
Perrott's Folly - The Two Towers of Birmingham
Perrott’s Folly towers above Edgbaston in Birmingham. Built in 1758 by John Perrott as a gazebo overlooking parkland - a place for entertainment and relaxation. The tower is 29m tall and built from warm red brick in Strawberry Hill Gothic style. There are 7 levels connected by a spiral staircase.
The fortified chimney of Edgbaston waterworks is a close neighbour.
Many people think these two towers were the inspiration for Tolkien’s towers in the Lord of the Rings as he lived and studied nearby. There is no reference to them in the Tolkien archive so it is, perhaps, a Middle Earth myth.
Birmingham landmarks and the countryside beyond, can be seen from the round and arched Windows. Birmingham Oratory is to the south east of the folly. Tolkien was an altar boy beneath the gilded dome. To the north, high rise buildings of Birmingham city centre. Old Joe, Birmingham university clock tower, is due south.
Perrott’s Folly is a Georgian delight entwined in legend.
_____________________________________________________
Thank you to AJ Pilkington of Manicks Productions Ltd for filming and Mags Martin for participating.
Voice over by Gill Fraser Lee, of HistoryNeedsYou.
Produced and edited by
Please subscribe for more videos of history and heritage and interact with us on Twitter: twitter.com/HistoryNeedsYou
_____________________________________________________
Music: Danzi: Wind Quintet Op 67 No 2 In E Minor, 2 Larghetto, performed by Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet, licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.
Flounders Folly
Aerial video of Flounders Folly, set in the beautiful rural Shropshire countryside.
video 2014 05 28 shell grotto pontypool
portable setup Wednesday homesteaders net 28th may 2014 ukfm
shell grotto
Luttrell's Tower
Amazing weekend in the tower
The Folly Pontypool, South Wales
A short video showing 'The Folly' in South Wales U.K.
I am flying a Phantom 3 Advanced Drone using the Litchi App.
Music by Dexter Britain - The Time To Run (Finale)
Folly Tower Faringdon in Autumn by Drone
This unique unusual 100ft Tower is Faringdon’s icon and the last major folly to be built in England
Hailed as 'Britain's finest 20th century Folly Tower' and 'One of the most important follies in Britain'.
The Tower sits on Folly Hill, within a charming 4 acre, circular woodland of splendid Scots Pine and broadleaf trees, some more than 200 years old.
You can see five counties - Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Buckinghamshire. There are vista panels on the roof to help you identify the surrounding countryside.
shell grotto pontypool
shell grotto pontypool
Perrotts Folly, Ladywood, Birmingham
Built by eccentric landowner John Perrott in 1758 this folly now houses temporary exhibitions from Birmingham s IKON gallery of contemporary art. Here you can see some interior shots and extracts from a site specific installation housed in the tower from 9 April - 24 May called Drawn Onward by artist Sofia Hulten.
The tower apparently inspired writer J R Tolkien.
A Murder At Freston Tower
Freston Tower - January 2013 - scene of a hideous, chocolate digestive instigated crime. All is revealed in this 3 minute, fly-on-the-wall, dramatic reconstruction of events, as they unfolded. Based on a true story*
*not
Horton Tower, Dorset
Said to have once been the tallest non-religious building in Britain, Horton's Tower near Chalbury Common is a classic example of a folly - monuments built by rich eccentrics with no obvious purpose.
Filmed using the DJI Mavic Air
Flounders' Folly, Shropshire
Another early start to visit the beautiful Flounders' Folly in South Shropshire. The stone tower stands 80 feet tall and was built in 1838 by Benjamin Flounders. It fell into disrepair in the late 1980s and underwent a significant restoration in the spring of 2004. Big thanks to The Flounders' Folly Trust for letting me film.
Folly Four
The places which led me to paint Folly Four - a painting based on the the follies of four sites around England - Stainbrough Castle & 1 of the Guard Towers, Roundhay Castle and the Boat House in Birkenhead Park.