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Perrott's Folly,grid referenceSP047862, also known as The Monument, or The Observatory, is a 29-metre (96-foot) tall tower, built in 1758. It is aGrade II* listed building in theEdgbaston area ofBirmingham, United Kingdom.
Built in the openRotton Park by John Perrott in 1758, who lived inBelbroughton, the tower now stands high above the local residential and business housing.
There are many stories to explain why the tower was built: that John Perrott wanted to be able to survey his land and perhaps entertain guests; or to spot animals for hunting; or so that he could see his wife's grave, 15 miles (24 km) away.
From 1884 to 1979 the tower was used as a weather recording station for theBirmingham and Midland Institute. In 1966 the Geography Department of theUniversity of Birmingham took over the running of the observatory until operations were transferred to the main campus.
It has been suggested,[1][2] but not proven, that the towers of Perrott's Folly andEdgbaston Waterworks may have influenced references to towers in the writings ofJ. R. R. Tolkien, who lived nearby as a child.
The Perrott's Folly Company was formed in 1984 to renovate the tower and make it accessible to the public. The company obtained grants fromEnglish Heritage andBirmingham City Council to secure the building.
In the summer of 2005 the Perrott's Folly Company, in partnership withBirmingham Conservation Trust, completed work to stabilise the structure.[3] However, money still has to be found to complete repairs to some of the key features. In April 2008 the tower was temporarily opened to the public, housing an art exhibition in co-operation with theIkon Gallery.[4] It was opened again in May 2008 as part of a weekend of celebrations of the life ofJ. R. R. Tolkien.[5] The Perrott's Folly Company was formally closed in August 2009. The tower was managed by Trident Housing Association between 2005 and 2017 and is now managed by Re.Future Collective, a Birmingham based Arts and Architecture Collective.[6]
52°28′28″N1°55′52″W / 52.4744°N 1.9312°W /52.4744; -1.9312
