The Folly
The Folly holds a special place of affection
in the hearts of all native `Pontypudlians'. It once occupied
a hill top position over looking Pontypool (to the West) and
the Plains of Gwent (to the East), approximately 1,000 ft above
sea level, on the Eastern hill range of the Eastern Valley of
Gwent, just south of Mynydd Garn-Wen. Over more than two centuries
for thousands of travellers returning to what was then Monmouthshire
from the North and the East, whether by road or rail, the sight
of the Tower, stark and gaunt on its hillside eminence, was
the signal that they were, indeed, back in the land of their
fathers and with their own folk.
Like many of its counterparts throughout the country, its original
purpose and the date of construction seem to be shrouded in
mystery. Legend dictates that the Folly originated as a Roman
Watch Tower, and an article contained in the `Free Press of
Monmouthshire' dated 22nd April 1865, described "an elevated
spot where a Tower (formerly a Roman watchtower) was many years
since rebuilt as an observatory and which is popularly known
as `The Folly'". The fact that an alleged Roman Road proceeding
from Llanhilleth through Pantygasseg and Trevethin passes near
the site of the Folly before descending by a Pitched causeway
to Mamhilad seems to add credibility to this romantic notion.
The history of the road is also
shrouded in mystery. Archaeologists who carried out a survey as
a result of an approach which Goetre Vawr Community Council made
to the Brecon Beacons National Park are of the opinion that the
paving is not roman in origin and indeed there is some evidence
to suggest that it may have been paved (probably by the Hanbury
Estate) around 1800. However the Rev Dr J D Evans of Mamhilad
published an article in `Gwent Local history', Spring 1988, which
makes a very good case for its being a route used by the monks
from the Celtic century and it is known that they usually made
use of established roads which at that time were undoubtedly of
roman origin.
The Tower itself, was almost certainly
built during the 18th century by the Hanbury family of Park house,
Pontypool. There is in the possession of Mr. Richard Hanbury Tenison,
the present Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, an ancestral estate map
of circa 1705 which has been annotated with the words "Twr
Watch Farm". Probably, this `Twr' or Tower was replaced by
a later one, mentioned by Archdeacon William Coxe when he recorded
in 1799, in his book entitled `An historical Tour In Monmouthshire'
"A pleasant ride through the park and grounds to the Folly,
a summer house built by the late Mr. Hanbury ......... No traveller
should quit Monmouthshire without enjoying this singular and almost
boundless prospect." `The Late Mr. Hanbury' is a reference
to John Hanbury who was born in 1744 and died in 1774. It is likely
that this Tower was again rebuilt as a gazebo in the last century,
at the instigation of Lady Mackworth, the wife of the local Squire,
Capel Hanbury Leigh. This is inferred from the fact that the keystone
from the doorway bearing a date `1831', was salvaged from the
ruins at the time of its demolition in 1940, and is now at the
Pontypool Park Estate Yard.
The Folly commanded a view of
both the beautiful and wild parts of Gwent. The vista stretched
from the Black Mountains in the North to the River Severn and
the Somerset coast in the South, and it is said that no fewer
than seven counties were visible from the tower on a clear day.
The following extracts from an article by W h Greene, an eminent
journalist, published in the `Free Press' of 25th July 1868, endorsed
these sentiments. "In this beautiful island or ours, one
cannot go far in its most beautiful districts without seeing a
pleasure tower or `Folly', perched on some commanding eminence.
Sometimes, as on the breezy Kymin, the tower is turned to good
account as a dwelling-house, where the traveller, hot and panting
from climbing up the hill, can get grateful refreshments. And
sometimes, as at the Folly near Pontypool, the building serves
as a rallying point, where excursionists and pleasure parties
may meet and find the best point for looking over the surrounding
country."
By the early part of the 20th
century, the Folly had become a popular picnic site, and a place
of pilgrimage on Bank holidays, as reported in the `Free Press'
dated 4th May 1924. "Many hundreds of people flocked to the
Folly Pontypool on Good Friday and spent the day picnicking there."
In a letter to the Free Press in 1948, Mr. Amphlett, proprietor
of `Ann's Pantry' recalled the halcyon days between the wars when
"loaded with boiled ham, fresh rolls and butter, ice cream,
oranges, sweets, tea and mineral waters I used to go with my helpers
to cater for the many holiday makers up there at Whitsuntide.
Regrettably, at the onset of the Second World War, this famous
landmark was demolished, on the 9th July 1940, by order of the
Ministry of Defence, as a security measure under the Emergency
Powers (Defence) Act 1939, because its presence was believed to
be a useful landmark to enemy airplanes seeking to raid the nearby
Royal Ordnance Factory at Glascoed.
After much protesting by locals
of Pontypool the Folly was rebuilt on its original spot over looking
the Park and was formally opened again by the Charles Prince of
Wales.
