Odd things among the follies at Studley Royal

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, National Trust

Last summer. the gardens of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal celebrated some of the follies which are such an important feature, with installations by Steve Messam.

Generally, these installations were well received, and recognised for what they were, playful additions and talking points in a garden given over to pleasure rest and recreation. They were indeed ‘These Passing Things’, visible for one summer only.

For Becky’s Square Odds…

… and Marsha’s Photographing Public Art Challenge #36

PS. I prepared this post yesterday, just before I became aware of the devastating flooding at the site caused by Storm Eunice, and which you can see here.

52 thoughts on “Odd things among the follies at Studley Royal”

  5. I love those gardens. Such a bit of fun especially for the children. I remember how much I loved the fields of buttercups with children running through them. So sorry about them flooding so badly. This too will pass.

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  7. These are probably the oddest things in your series of posts so far. And fun! But oh, that water …. 😟 I’m assuming you are now in the grip of storm Frankin? It’s grim here.

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  10. They certainly make people pause for thought. Reminds if an installation I saw at the Jardin de Plantes in December, prehistoric underwater plants in glowing neon colours, huge and futuristic looking, nature is also capable of some creating some strange forms.

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  11. That yellow installation was once seen never forgotten. A folly within a folly.
    Wow, can’t believe the Fountains area has been flooded like that. Surely that’s an incredible rare occurrence or has there been messing around with the rivers in that part of the world in the last few decades?

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      1. Wow that whole project looks like quite an undertaking. Hope it is successful. Always tricky bringing together disparate groups who may not necessarily have quite the same aims.

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  15. I really like that yellow one, it looks like a comic book explosion – very dramatic but leaving the structure of the building intact 😀

    But that flooding looks really bad. We’re thinking of visiting Fountains when we’re up in Yorkshire this summer so I’ll have to keep an eye open for developments. I do hope they can clear it all up and reopen – and not just for our sake!

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    1. I’m sure it’ll be presentable by then. This isn’t as bad as the 2017 floods, and the recovery was remarkable. I hope you’ll let me know when you plan to visit. You probably know I volunteer there, so it would be a great opportunity to meet you.

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