Following on from last week’s unusual folly, our latest Curiosity of the Week is another quirky looking structure. The Needle’s Eye is a sandstone pyramid, which can be found in Wentworth, South Yorkshire.
The folly has an unusual shape and an equally unusual story to go with it. The story goes that the folly was originally built to win a bet.
The pyramid-shaped folly was built in the mid-18th century, with an arch through the middle. This was allegedly so that the Marquess of Rockingham could win a wager; that he could drive a coach and horses through the eye of a needle.
Indeed, the folly once straddled an old coach road, and the arch is just about big enough for a small coach to pass through.
The Needle’s Eye folly can be found, along with several other interesting monuments and follies, on the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate, and can be viewed from the public footpath which runs from Coaley Lane.
If you are planning to visit the folly, look out for the musket ball holes on one side of the folly. Some claim these were made by a firing squad, as they can be found at head height in the stonework.
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We are always on the lookout for interesting customs, hidden places, and unique buildings and landmarks, to share with our readers.