Background
- Listing: Grade 2*
- Date of building: Begun 1870s opened 1925
- www.farringdon.biz
- Massey's Folly Gallery
- Massey's Folly Virtual Tour
Mystery still surrounds the intended purpose of the building, which within its fiery red brick and terracotta walls houses some seventeen bedrooms and a host of original Victorian fireplaces and other features. It is rumoured that Massey’s ‘red building’ was intended to house a new religious order, but no evidence of this has yet been found.
Massey, who was in sole charge of the local church purse strings set about making his domain match his philosophy. The rebuilt 12th century All Saints Church chancel in Tractarian style and built himself a larger Gothic-style rectory, having demolished the previous rectory.
Massey set his new building on the site of a former school, and it is possible that some of the fabric of this earlier building is included in the walls. Over the next 40 years, spanning the reign of two monarchs, just one bricklayer, one labourer, and one carpenter were employed in constructing the building from bricks and terracotta tiles some of which were manufactured at Rowlands Castle Brickworks.
Massey designed the building himself without proper architectural plans. This meant that parts of it were demolished and begun again if they failed to meet with Massey’s approval.
Massey remained an eccentric and even unpopular figure until his death. His request that all his papers be burned upon his death leaves us no clearer as to his intentions for the folly. The building subsequently served as a school and village hall, then as a widely used community facility, a role it maintains to this day.
It is hoped that Restoration will help continue and enhance the life of this unique and popular community facility for generations to come.
