The following article appeared in Amateur Gardening 26th August 2000. Page 8.

Written by - Clair Boarman.

An Englishman's shed is his castle-style folly.

A retired Art teacher has the grandest garden shed in town.

    Timothy Blewitt, from Worthing, West Sussex, has built a large castle-style folly at the bottom of his garden - but he has no other use for it than as a garden shed.

    The 13ft. (4m)-high castle comes complete with tower, turrets and a dungeon with a well and fireplace.

    Timothy said: ''I have been very interested in follies and unusual buildings since I was a child.

    ''If I had not been restricted by planning permission I would have liked to have built it much higher than four metres.

    To get round this problem, Timothy decided to build down instead of up.

    ''I planned to dig a secret underground entrance to the folly but I hit the water table much sooner than I thought, so I decided to dig a well instead,'' he added.

    Built-in planting pockets all over the folly are filled with alpine plants, while small shelves held up by cherubs make space for pots.

    Contrasting materials have been used to make patterns all over the castle walls.

    The tower sits over a well which is lined with mosaic tiles and goes down to 6ft. (1.8m).

    At the top of the tower is a red light which shines out at night.

    Timothy used recycled materials, beams and lintels from a reclamation yard.

    He also made use of old bricks from a demolished Victorian mansion and flints and stones that he collected from nearby fields.

    The tower lies within a shrubbery and the folly is surrounded by a water feature, which looks like a moat.

    It took Timothy just over a year to complete - and the well comes in useful as it provides a source of water for the garden.

    ''Finishing the folly was a real anti-climax: I just wanted to keep on building!'' Timothy said.

    He has even set up a website for folly-mad gardeners. It can be found at http://fp.goringfolly.f9.co.uk

                               Mini-Castle Marvel.

                  On Sunday 10/9/00 The News of The World published a very nice and complimentary article written by Richard Jackson. I cannot reproduce it here as I have not got copyright. Despite letters to the editor and emails I did not even get a reply. Pretty disappointing.

       It was entitled 'Tim's Shed is Pure Folly' and described as a 'Mini-Castle Marvel'.

Richard Jackson featured it in his gardening column on page 56 along with a splendid picture. 

   In the Spring 2001 edition of Follies magazine an article appeared entitled 'Goring Folly,'

 Follies magazine is The International Magazine for Follies, Grottoes and Garden Buildings.

The Editorial column refers to Goring folly. 'Timothy Blewitt describes the joys (and miseries)of building his own folly: from the inspirational and enthusiasm of conception, through the physical exertions of the battle with the elements, and the challenge of seeking out original features and recyclable materials for a small 'consideration', to the satisfaction engendered by the finished structure.

                                                        Goring Folly.

         I have always admired eccentric buildings, and the dawning of a the new Millennium provided the impetus to begin one of my own. plans were sent off to the Local Planning Authority but were deemed unnecessary as long as the structure did not exceed 30 square metres in area and 4 metres in height. I had really wanted to build the Tower up to 8 metres but in a built-up residential area this was not possible. The foundations though were designed to support a much higher tower, so perhaps future generations will ad to it. In February 1999, the somewhat pretentiously named Goring Folly was begun.

         I had intended steps leading down to an underground entrance to add to the intrigue and bizarre nature of the building, and to give it a further sense of height. After digging down 2 metres, I unexpectedly struck the water table and after a further 2 metres, I had a natural well! This excavation and the laying of the foundations above the well was certainly the most difficult and exhausting part of the project. Pumping equipment had to be brought in to drain the hole in between stints of excavation. Digging out wet clay is a hard and physically demanding process. Working in a confined space up to the knees in water, the spade is held in by suction and cannot be manoeuvred. Much of the clay had to be scooped out by hand. Boots sink into the wet clay and the water level is constantly rising. Getting out of a slippery hole when caked in mud is a tricky business when four metres below the ground.

         Eventually the well was dug and lined with concrete rings, and the serious construction of the Tower could begin. At the same time, foundations were laid for an adjoining two-roomed building to be linked to the tower by an arch. This additional construction was not to be a true folly according to my definition but certainly 'follyish', and was to be in the same architectural style as the tower.

         Wherever possible locally reclaimed materials were used. One of my first purchases was 1000 bricks from a recently demolished Victorian hospital. Most of the material, however, were salvaged for free-or the passing of a £20 note had amazing results. Bricks, stone, wood and tiles were all acquired from demolition sites, skips and dumps. The entire construction contains some 8000 bricks from about 50 different sources, all of which had to be 'cleaned' by hand. Using reclaimed material gave the Folly 'instant age' and the mixed surface texture I was aiming for. Local flint was also used, which is freely available around the edges of farmer's fields. Some of these were 'knapped' to form a multicoloured and durable surface. The Folly also incorporated many architectural antiques from mansions, farms, ancient buildings, car boot sales, antique fairs, salvage yards and a church. They came from all over England and as far away as France and Belgium. Incorporated into the structure they form key points of interest. black dye was added to the mortar to create 'age' and wherever possible the most worn side of the bricks was left exposed.

          Goring Folly was finished by Easter 2000, and now it sits partly within a shrubbery in the back garden. I like to think of it as 'architectural art' as my overriding philosophy was appearance over both cost and time. At the top of the folly tower, old terracotta land drains have been inserted, creating a circular grid. At night all the holes are lit up from the inside with a red light controlled by a light sensor. When the water level is low enough, the inside of the tower can be ascended via rungs and the well can also be descended. Spiral stairs lead down two metres to the summer water level. The inside of the well is lined with mosaics and hidden below the water level are incorporated the words '2000 A.D.' It is my intention to line the inside of the tower with a mosaic made from broken shards of pottery. The Tower is linked to the Summer House and Shed by a small 'ruined' arch. For this all the most deformed and worn bricks were used, and cavities were left to incorporate plants. It is only a small feature but an aesthetically important one, creating interesting vistas from either side. The adjoining building is a more practical storage area for garden equipment and furniture. On one corner a smaller turret is attached, purely as an aesthetic feature. Nothing about the design of the building made the construction at all easy. One side is curved and the ground plan is irregular. Externally the bricks have been laid in patterns with tiles and flints inserted in panels. Stone within the walls is both rough and cut. Internally there are two roooms linked by a keyhole doorway topped by a massive stone lintel. Several carved stone panels reclaimed from a defunct Belgium church decorate the inside and the ecclesiastical feeling is further enhanced by the inclusion of five stained glass windows. Above the rooms there are two small lofts for added storage. The roof is close boarded, felted, leaded and clad in 1920's hand-made tiles matching those on local houses.

         Goring-by-Sea is in West Sussex. Further information and pictures can be found at http://fp.goringfolly.f9.co.uk  

Follies magazine is published by the Folly Fellowship and can be contacted through- follies@heritage.co.uk 

World wide Website- http://www.heritage.co.uk/follies/  

The article below was written by myself for a local magazine 'The Guide' Goring-by-Sea. Edition 10 march 2007.

Goring Folly.

The Folly at Goring-by-Sea was begun in February 1999 and completed in April 2000. It is situated in a private garden and was built entirely by the current owner. The main impetus for its construction was as a Millennium project. The idea was to create a unique building of some architectural interest utilising locally reclaimed materials as much as possible in its construction.

Briefly the Folly comprises of a tower with spiral steps leading down to a natural well, linked by a 'ruined arch' to a two roomed building with lofts above.

Plans were sent off to the Local Authority but were deemed unnecessary as long as it did not exceed 30 square metres in area and 4 metres in height. It also had to be 5 metres away from any existing buildings and certain restrictions were put upon usage.

The most challenging part of the project was to dig a 4 metre deep well above which the tower was constructed. Digging down into wet clay with rising water was never going to be easy, but now spiral steps lead down to a useful source of water for the garden.

Wherever possible local reclaimed materials have been used. The terrible and continual destruction of old buildings goes on unabated in the local area as it does elsewhere. Some of the buildings that have been salvaged have been fit only for demolition but others knocked down for someone's financial gain. An initial major purchase was 1000 bricks from the old Worthing Hospital that had recently been demolished. Other materials were acquired from sites mainly around Worthing, Goring, Brighton and Arundel. Materials were collected from some 50 different locations. Some had to be paid for but most were for free. Slipping the foreman a £20 note will work wonders. Bricks, tiles, wood and stone were all reclaimed and painstakingly 'cleaned'. It takes a lot of bricks for even the smallest of buildings and in this case the walls are two bricks thick. It is difficult to estimate how many bricks were used as so many other materials are haphazardly mixed in but a guess could be 8000.

     The two roomed building does of course have a practical purpose as a storage area for garden furniture and equipment. It is, however, still built in the folly style. On one corner a smaller turret is attached purely as a further aesthetic feature. This added to the complexity of construction. Nothing about the design of the building made construction at all easy. One side is curved and the ground plan is irregular. At all times appearance was put ahead of time and cost. 

    Externally the bricks have been laid in patterns and knapped flints in panels. Stone within the walls is both rough and cut. Internally there are two rooms linked by a keyhole doorway. Several carved stone panels reclaimed from a defunct Belgium church decorate the inside and the ecclesiastical feeling is further enhanced by the inclusion of five stained glass windows.

    The tower rises 4 metres above the ground and drops a further 4 metres down to the bottom of the well. The wall contains numerous knapped flints reflecting the timeless structure of many old local Sussex buildings. Black dye has been added to the mortar to create 'age' and all the joints are 'weather' pointed. Wherever possible the most worn side of the bricks have been left exposed. At the top of the tower, land drains are inserted, creating a circular grid. At night all the holes in the cylindrical drains light up. 

   A Folly is in its truest sense a useless building having no specific use, but this is also an object of beauty best defined as architectural art. 

For further information visit- www.goringfolly.netfirms.com

Tim Blewitt

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