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Page 3 in the local paper was good publicity. Evening Argus. March 28th  2000

The grandest garden 'shed' in Worthing.  by Paul Holden.

     People walking past Timothy Blewitt's detached home probably imagine his back garden to have a washing line, shed and a few old footballs. But an eye-catching work of art is taking neighbours by surprise after Mr. Blewitt put up a four metre-high folly in his garden instead. The 52_year-old has spent the last year building the folly and started his labour of love as a millennium project It should be finished at Easter and fills the gap left by the famous Bateman's Folly, a unique stone grotto in Farncombe Road, which was recently demolished, sparking uproar. From the front of Mr. Blewitt,s    detached house in Goring, Worthing, there is no indication of the amazing creation at the rear. The back garden now boast's a tower linked by an archway to two adjoining rooms complete with stained-glass windows and ornate, decorative stonework. Once finished, the rooms will become the grandest garden 'shed' in Worthing and a summer house. The tower stands over a well lined with mosaic tiles in varying shades of blue, which can be reached by a small staircase. Below the waterline, which rises and falls depending on rainfall, there is the date 2000, so future generations will know when the folly was completed. The tower, complete with conical roof, has rungs inside which lead to a red light that gives off a dull glow at night through holes designed into the masonry. Mr. Blewitt has built the folly with materials salvaged from building sites all over the area. There are lintels and wooden beams from an old Victorian mansion in Shakespeare Road, Worthing, tiles from a wooden chalet in Sea Place, Goring, 1000 bricks from Worthing Hospital and terracotta floor tiles from Tarring. He has also incorporated flints thrown into hedgerows by farmers and architectural from a defunct Belgium church. Mr. Blewitt said he had to buy some of the materials but others were obtained free from workmen who helped him load his trailer. He said, "I have always been interested in follies ever since I was a boy. There was a shed here that was a bit dilapidated, and I had it in mind for a long time to rebuild it. I wanted to build a big tower, but with planning constrictions I could only go up to four metres so I started digging down instead. As I got to about 6ft down the ground started turning soggy. I scooped out a bit more earth and it filled up with water. I had reached the water table, so I dug down a little bit more and decided to have a well. It was a very difficult job digging a well by hand. As you are digging down the water is constantly rising and you have problems. It was intended as a millennium project and it has turned out more or less exactly as I planned it." Earlier this year there was anger when Bateman's Folly, built by botanist James Bateman in the 1880's, was demolished after it was judged to be structurally unsafe. After hearing of it's destruction, Jack Hegarty, council development control manager, said he was angry , adding, "It was an exceptional piece of landscape architecture. It is unfortunate we weren't given a chance to save it." Blewitt's Folly is surely a worthy successor.                      

The Folly also featured in the editorial column.

Timothy's tower.   

     There's a folly in the bottom of Timothy Blewitt's garden in goring complete with a well and a tower. it has taken him thousands of hours to build this wonderful eccentric structure as a millennium project. We trust that when he's finished it next month, it will be a worthy successor to the recently- demolished Bateman's Folly, and a towering triumph.

 The front page of The Worthing Guardian. 31/3/2000.

What a folly good idea.

     When her husband said he was going to build a summerhouse/shed in the back garden, Jean Blewitt could not have envisaged the structure that has arisen over the past 14 months. For husband Timothy had a hidden agenda - to build his own 'folly'. And now his creation is fast nearing completion behind the Blewitt's detached house in Goring. The folly part is a tower linked to two adjoining rooms which like the tower, are constructed of a bewildering variety of materials. They include timber from Timothy's two previous homes in France, decorative stone paneling from Belgium, and more locally - sourced materials such as 1000 bricks from the old Worthing Hospital buildings. "I have always wanted to build a folly," Timothy told the Guardian. "Jean knew nothing of what I was planning, and the result was a complete surprise to her." A particular source of pride to Timothy is the two metre deep well which he excavated into the base of the tower. It has filled up nicely because of the high water table and when the weather is really wet, the water level rises another metre and a half up the steps. "I have tasted - but not drunk - the water and it's not bad1" said Timothy. He pondered when asked what 'theme' he had followed in his £4000 creation. But when it was suggested that it looked rather French, he agreed it was probably inspired by his time in France. Now Timothy plans to have his folly all completed by Easter. 

It also featured prominently in The Argus Worthing Supplement - Monday, April 24, 2000.

IT'S PURE FOLLY.

     They say an Englishman's home is his castle. And that certainly applies to Timothy Blewitt, who has spent the past year creating this magnificent folly in his back garden. Now the end is in sight for the 52 year - old retired teacher from Goring in Worthing, who stated his labour of love as a Millennium project. It should be finished at Easter, and fills the gap left by the famous Bateman's Folly a unique stone grotto in Farncombe Road, Worthing, which was recently dstroyed, sparking uproar........  (much of this article is the same as the preceding one but it was nice that it appeared in the historical monthly supplement)

Southern Counties Radio.

Southern Counties Radio. Interview broadcast at 8.15am 29/3/2000 and in the news headlines at 9am.

Click here to hear the interview.Folly-Interview.wav

Grass Roots.

The Meridion TV programme 'Grass Roots' Filmed the Folly and interviewed the creator on thursday August 3rd 2000. Filming took place during the whole day and in between showers.
It was shown on channel 3 on August 23rd.2000. Below are some photos of the filming taking place.

   
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