Needle's Eye Folly
Information
Near the town of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, is to be found Wentworth Woodhouse, a most imposing country house with a splendid 606 foot long façade - the longest in the whole of England.
This not-very-humble abode was built by Thomas Watson-Wentworth, the first marquis of Rockingham, who began constructing his grand residence in 1723.
The family clearly had a taste for construction, for in the grounds of Wentworth Woodhouse you will also find some quite incredible follies. My favourite is Needle’s Eye, a 48ft arched obelisk at the top of Lee Wood, reputedly built by the second Marquis to win a wager that he could not drive his carriage through the eye of a needle.
Even today, I wonder whether a betting man might win a guinea or two from a trip to this most curious country estate.
Location
The Needle's Eye Folly can be seen in Lee Wood nr.Wentworth Woodhouse.