This book will take an affectionate journey around some of the atmospheric and occasional mysterious ruins and follies that can be found in East Anglia.
It might be a building that has a particular historical, cultural or other significant interest but which is, at the time of writing, in such a state of disrepair that its restoration is either impractical or unlikely - or, in the cases of particularly old buildings, for example castles, not a consideration for obvious reasons. Or it might be a folly, a building that is still wholly complete and standing but was one solely constructed for ornamental purposes and often for no practical use other than for the planners involved to `prove' that it could be done. With a design that is often be deliberately eye-catching, eccentric or even controversial in appearance, Couzens-Lake investigates the reasons for this quirk, looking at, for example, the Victorian `fashion' for making buildings that had a utilitarian purpose, such as workhouses or water towers, as ornamental in design as possible.
Featuring forty-five such sites that fit into those descriptions, together with an accompanying set of original photographs, each ruin or folly selected will include a concise and informative narrative relating to its reasons for construction, history and, where relevant, its present-day function.
Couzens-Lake also looks at the future of some of the ruins and follies featured - do they have a future? Are they under threat? Might they eventually be lost to the landscape altogether, or do they have a function to play in the modern world? This charming and fascinating book looks to answer some of these questions.