Folly Tower, Pontypool

Folly Tower
Welsh: Tŵr Ffoledd
The Folly Tower, Pontypool
General information
Status	Complete – demolished, but rebuilt
Type	Folly
Architectural style	Stone tower with crenelated top
Location	Pontypool Park, Torfaen, South Wales
Town or city	Pontypool
Country	Wales
Coordinates	Grid ref: SO 2954902550
Elevation	1,000 ft (305 m) above sea level
Completed	1765 to 1770
Renovated	1831 & 1994
Demolished	9 July, 1940
Client	John Hanbury
Owner	Torfaen County Borough Council
Height	40 ft (12 m)

The Folly Tower - (Welsh: Tŵr Ffoledd) - is a folly located within the grounds of a working farm, close to Pontypool Park, Torfaen, South Wales (Grid ref: SO 2954902550). It is a prominent local landmark above the A4042 Pontypool to Abergavenny road and overlooks Pontypool to the west and rural Monmouthshire to the east. The Folly is octagonal in shape and roughly 40 ft (12 m) high and is approximately 1,000 ft (305 m) above sea level on the eastern hill range of the Eastern Valley of Monmouthshire, just south of Mynydd Garn-Wen. Less than a mile from the folly is the Shell Grotto.

The precise date of construction is unknown but it is generally thought that the original tower was built around 1765 to 1770 by John Hanbury, a local landowner and ironmaster who owned Pontypool Park. The local name of The Folly was in use as far back as 1865 when the Free Press of Monmouthshire described it as:

"...an elevated spot where a Tower (formerly a Roman watch-tower) was many years since rebuilt as an observatory and which is popularly known as 'The Folly'."

It is thought the tower was renovated around 1831 by Capel Hanbury Leigh. This date is derived from a keystone from the doorway bearing an '1831' inscription. The tower provided a vantage point over the local area and quickly became popular and a well known feature of the area.