A building of little or no practical use, built in large part to satisfy the whim of its owner. Follies are usually extravagant or whimsical in design. 18th-century English and French landscape gardens featured follies in the form of picturesque “sham ruins” of Roman temples, medieval castles, rustic cottages, Chinese pagodas and Egyptian pyramids. Web resources here and here.

The Dunmore Pineapple, a folly in Dunmore Park, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Begun 1761.