Restoration of a Grade II listed tower

Flounder’s Folly is a Grade II listed stone tower that stands on the skyline at the top of Callow Hill, a few miles north of Craven Arms in Shropshire.

The folly was built in 1838 by Benjamin Flounder, a 19th century industrialist, and designed by Ludlow architect R Blakeway-Smith, the original drawings for which still exist in the North Yorkshire Records Office. 

Photographs dating from 1938 showed the tower fairly intact with the text indicating that the battlements had been substantially rebuilt.  A further collapse of the battlements occurred in the 1980’s, suggesting an intrinsic weakness in the parapet design.

The parapets have been restored using Forest of Dean sandstone, and a new reinforced concrete roof deck has been designed to provide stability to the overhanging battlements. A new staircase and door have been inserted, and the existing masonry walls have been repaired and repointed.