Perrott's Folly
Encyclopedia
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
area of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The tower is one of Birmingham's oldest surviving architectural features. Built in the open Rotton Park by John Perrott, who lived in BelbroughtonBelbroughton
Belbroughton is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,380. It is about six miles north of Bromsgrove, six miles east of Kidderminster and four miles south of Stourbridge, in Worcestershire...
, the tower now stands high above the local residential and business housing.
Purpose
There are many stories to explain why the tower was built. One is that John Perrott wanted to be able to survey his land and perhaps entertain guests. Or the tower might have been used to spot animals for hunting. Or that he built the tower so that he could see his wife's grave, 15 miles away.Use as a weather observatory
From 1884 to 1979 the tower was used as a weather recording station for the Birmingham and Midland InstituteBirmingham and Midland Institute
The Birmingham and Midland Institute , now on Margaret Street in the city centre of Birmingham, England was a pioneer of adult scientific and technical education and today offers Arts and Science lectures, exhibitions and concerts. It is a registered charity...
. In 1966 the Geography Department of the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
took over the running of the observatory until operations were transferred to the main campus.
The Tolkien connection
It has been suggested, but not proven, that the towers of Perrott's Folly and Edgbaston WaterworksEdgbaston Waterworks
Edgbaston Waterworks lies to the east of Edgbaston Reservoir, two miles west of the centre of Birmingham, England....
may have influenced references to towers in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, who lived nearby as a child.
Prospects
The Perrott's Folly Company was formed in 1984 to renovate the tower and make it accessible to the public. The company has obtained grants from English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
to secure the building.
In the summer of 2005 the Perrott's Folly Company in partnership with Birmingham Conservation Trust
Birmingham Conservation Trust
Birmingham Conservation Trust is a charity which saves and restores historic buildings in the city of Birmingham, England. In 2004 it completed the conservation and restoration of the last surviving court of Back to Back houses on Hurst Street in the city...
completed work to stabilise the structure. However money still has to be found to complete repairs to some of the key features. Funding is expected to depend on finding a productive future use for the building. In April 2008 the tower was temporarily opened to the public, housing an art exhibition in co-operation with the Ikon Gallery
Ikon Gallery
The Ikon Gallery is an English gallery of contemporary art, located in Brindleyplace, Birmingham. It is housed in the Grade II listed, neo-gothic former Oozells Street Board School, designed by John Henry Chamberlain in 1877. The gallery's current director is Jonathan Watkins.Ikon was set up to...
. It was opened again in May 2008 as part of a weekend of celebrations of the life of JRR Tolkien.
The Perrott`s Folly Company was formally closed in August 2009, and the ownership and running of Perrott`s Folly was passed to Trident Housing Association Ltd (a Registered Charity).