This pavilion - known as 'Polly' - is located in the grounds of Foutains Abbey and Studley Royal in North Yorkshire. It was commissioned by the National Trust as a temporary pavilion replacing a long-lost folly within the beautiful water gardens of FASR, a World Heritage Site. Polly is a 9m high timber clad tower that draws its inspiration from a history of follies and manageries and from the exotic flora and fauna that were often displayed there.  Polly's 'head' contains a lens that projects an image of the exterior landscape onto its interior. The head can be rotated so that the view changes and animating the structure within its landscape setting.

 

Polly draws on a number of other themes including an early 18th century painting by Jakab Bogdany called Parrots and a Lizard in Picturesque Landscape and the ornamental  parrots that appear in William Burgess' church of St. Mary's in the grounds of Studley Royal. The name Polly refers to the greek legend of Polyphemus, the one-eyed cyclops.

 

Photography Credit: Chris Lacey/National Trust