Sorrelsykes Park Hall folly: The unusual Yorkshire folly which resembles a rocket ship

The unusually shaped folly perched on a limestone terrace in the grounds of Sorrelsykes Park Hall, Wensleydale, resembles a rocket-ship possibly landing on the moon.
The Rocket Shaped Folly perched on a limestone terrace in the grounds of Sorrelsykes Park Hall, Wensleydale. Picture James Hardisty. Date: 3rd December 2024.The Rocket Shaped Folly perched on a limestone terrace in the grounds of Sorrelsykes Park Hall, Wensleydale. Picture James Hardisty. Date: 3rd December 2024.
The Rocket Shaped Folly perched on a limestone terrace in the grounds of Sorrelsykes Park Hall, Wensleydale. Picture James Hardisty. Date: 3rd December 2024.

The structure, comprising a large cone, with doorway and blind windows, supported by buttresses, captures the imagination of all who pass by on the way to West Burton.

Once part of a set of four follies, only three remain today.

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A chapel with a gothic design, also located near the sizeable Palladian-fronted manor house, was lost in a storm in 1992.

It is believed follies, believed to date back to the first half of the 19th century, on the site, whic also include a standalone arched gateway and a column, were likely crafted to distract from the unsightly remnants of a former lead mine nearby.

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