Sharp's Folly
Folly In Rothbury, Northumberland
Sharp's Folly is an 18th century tower in Rothbury, and is the oldest folly in Northumberland.
The building of Sharp's Folly began in 1720 and was completed by 1754. The observatory was built by Reverend Dr Thomas Sharp, Rector of Rothbury who had a keen interest in astronomy. He also built the folly to help provide work for unemployed people in the area, and it became known as 'the doctor's folly'.
Thomas Sharp's son, Granville Sharp, was another interesting character, who was one of the first British campaigners for the abolition of the slave trade.
The tower is now unfortunately on the Heritage at Risk Register, however, is still an impressive folly.
The folly is located on a caravan site which is quite overgrown. There a few styles to get into the field, but it does say it's for the caravan club only.
Get 3 points if you have visited this place. Already visited by 75 VIPs.
Login to bag this placeHelp fuel the next adventure
Fabulous North is free, with no annoying adverts and fuelled by an unhealthy desire to poke around castles, hills, churches and suspicious-looking bits of stone.
If you enjoy what we do, you can help keep us exploring.
Champion This Place
Got a special memory of Sharp's Folly , a story to tell or simply a soft spot for it? Champion Sharp's Folly and we'll add your name, photo and a short message to this page, while your support helps us keep Fabulous North exploring.
How To Find Sharp's Folly
Where To Park For Sharp's Folly ?
Lat / Long
55.30775, -1.91132
What three words
Parking is available at Haugh car park NE65 7RX.
Contributed by Sandra Clemens
I love the great outdoors and have been a National Trust & English Heritage member for years. I also love going off the beaten track and finding places like Sharp's Folly or Rothley Castle which are hidden gems in Northumberland. My favourite recent hike was climbing Red Screes in the Lake District on a whim, not fully grasping how high 776m was. It was still an achievement to conquer a Wainwright walk and I hope to do more one day.
More Places from Sandra
More Places In Rothbury
Find more fabulous places in Rothbury, Northumberland and if you know of a place we haven't listed, then let us know.
High Trewhitt Trig Point
Trig Point Rothbury NorthumberlandThis is the trig point for High Trewhitt (165m) near Rothbury.
Thompson's Rock Solstice Stone
Crag, Rock And Cairn Rothbury NorthumberlandA holed stone in the Simonside Hills that lines up with the summer solstice.
Cartington Castle
Castle Rothbury NorthumberlandA lovely little 12th century ruined castle just outside of Rothbury.
More Follies
So this folly wasn't enough and you want more? Don't worry we have you covered.
Ashton Memorial
Folly Lancaster LancashireA 50m high memorial in Williamson Park commissioned by Lord Ashton in memory of his second wife.
Fyrish Monument
Folly Dingwall ScotlandA fantastic large folly on a hill overlooking the Moray Firth near Dingwall in Scotland.
Lady's Tower
Folly Fife ScotlandA folly that sits on the headland at Elie with stunning views over the Firth of Forth.
Never Miss A Fabulous Place
If you are afraid of missing out on all the fabulous places we post, or just want to be the first to know, then sign up to the Fabulous North.
Each week we will email you all the brand new places that we visit.
Sign Up To Alerts
Find Us On Facebook
We post all our new places daily on our Facebook Groups page, so join the group today and be notified when we add a new place.
Join Our Facebook GroupSharp's Folly was listed in Folly // Northumberland // Rothbury