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Folly gets some TLC


One of the most popular artefacts in the Wood is the folly that stands in what was once the gardens of the house called Fairwood. This house was built in the early 1860s for David Henry Stone, who eventually became Lord Mayor of London. The folly was built sometime between 1863 and 1866 by James Pulham and Son, who specialised in the construction of grottos and romantic ruins to adorn the gardens of the well-to-do. The folly was built with a brickwork core and then covered with "Pulhamite", the company's proprietary cement, which was fashioned to look like stone. Next to the folly was a cascade, also made from Pulhamite and its remains are still to be seen today. 

Originally the villas that lined Sydenham Hill were offered by the Dulwich Estate on 99 year leases, so by the inter-war years they were already in decline, as people were unwilling to take on large houses with extensive gardens on a short lease. Consequently from the 1950s onwards they were demolished and their garden gradually returned to nature. 

(There are earlier posts on this blog examining these villas.)

Over the years, the folly, which was built to resemble the romantic ruin of a small chapel has itself become ruinous. 

After much discussion, the folly is now undergoing a programme of stabilisation. The large blocks which have fallen over time will remain in situ and some brickwork will be restored as part of the stabilisation. 

The folly 


The remains of a detail as a holy water stoup.



The remains of the cascade.

Renovation and stabilisation in progress.

Sadly no plans or early photos of the folly have been discovered. Large-scale Ordnance Survey maps, which show details like paths and greenhouses, indicate nothing that would be the folly. It would be so interesting to see what it might have looked like as originally intended. It is also intriguing to wonder if it was intended to be hidden amongst the trees or on the edge of more formal gardens. 

Hopefully, one day more information will come to light.


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