The Folly, Victoria Street, Settle, North Yorkshire, England UK
The Folly was built in about 1679 by Richard Preston, a wealthy merchant. His new house, originally named Tanner Hall, formed the centre piece of his estate in Settle. It stands by the original main road into the town and was undoubtedly built to make an impact. Richard Preston died in 1695/6 and the house passed to his daughter Margaret. She soon sold it to another wealthy local family, the Dawsons, in whose hands it remained until 1980. From 1708, the Dawsons leased The Folly for a range of uses - at various times it has housed a bakery, a warehouse, a furniture shop, refreshment rooms, a fish-and-chip shop and a salvage business. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was also used from time to time for public and society meetings. More detailed research into the history of the building is currently underway. A recent exciting discovery has been Richard Preston's probate inventory, which itemises, room by room, the contents of The Folly in 1695. Mr Philip Dawson was the last member of the family to own The Folly. Having restored and lived in the house for ten years, he finally sold it in 1980 to an antiques dealer who in turn sold it several years later to a developer whose plans were never realised. In 1990, The Folly was yet again placed on the market, but failed to find a buyer. In 1994, the house was divided into two and the north range sold for retail and residential purposes. The hall and south ranges remained empty and rapidly began to deteriorate. At this point the North Craven Building Preservation Trust intervened and mounted a rescue campaign, with the aim of opening Settle's only Grade 1 listed building to the public.
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Photo credit: © John Morrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: architecture, building, dales, england, folly, hall, heritage, house, listed, museum, north, settle, town, uk, yorkshire
