Sharpe's Folly is a Grade II* listed building in the Northumberland local planning authority area, England. First listed on 21 October 1953. A Georgian Folly. 1 related planning application.

Sharpe's Folly

WRENN ID
fallen-gutter-quill
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Northumberland
Constituency
North Northumberland MP: David Smith (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
21 October 1953
Type
Folly
Period
Georgian
Address
Sharpe's Folly, Whitton and Tosson
OS grid reference
NU 058 009
Coordinates
55.30252, -1.90984
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Sharpe's Folly is a folly built in the 1720s by Archdeacon Sharpe, who was the Rector of Rothbury. Constructed from ashlar, the round tower stands approximately 30 feet high. It features a blocked round-headed doorway with a moulded keystone and a slightly chamfered surround. There are very small round windows that illuminate the staircase, and higher up, four round-headed windows with raised imposts and slightly chamfered surrounds, although the joinery is mostly gone. The structure has a boldly projecting cornice and a castellated parapet.

Inside, there is a cantilevered stone stair. This folly is said to have been built partly to alleviate local unemployment and partly to satisfy the Archdeacon's interest in astronomy. It is likely the earliest folly in the county.

Local climate

Sharpe's Folly receives an average of 820 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 52% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 99% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 38 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 70% of listed buildings. Of these, 23 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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