Bladon Castle facts for kids

A glimpse of Bladon Castle taken from a field gate on Newtown Road and shows the crest of Bladon Hill where an end turret and connecting parapet wall can be seen

Bladon Castle is a really interesting building in South Derbyshire, England. It's not a real castle built for defense, but something called a "folly." It's located about 600 yards (550 meters) southwest of the village of Newton Solney. It's also about 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of Burton upon Trent, close to where the River Trent forms the border with Staffordshire.

Bladon Castle: A Cool "Folly" Building!

What is a Folly?

A "folly" is a special kind of building. It looks like something important, like a castle or a ruin, but it wasn't built for a practical reason. Instead, follies were built just to look pretty or interesting in a landscape. They were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. People often built them in their large gardens or estates. Bladon Castle is a great example of a folly.

Who Built Bladon Castle?

Bladon Castle was designed by a famous architect named Jeffrey Wyattville. He built it for a man named Abraham Hoskins. Abraham Hoskins lived in Burton-on-Trent, which is not far from the castle. The castle was built in a style called "Neo-Gothic." This means it looked like old Gothic castles, but it was a new version.

What Does Bladon Castle Look Like?

When it was first built, Bladon Castle was designed to look like a big castle. It had battlements, which are the parts of a castle wall with gaps for shooting arrows. But here's the secret: it was mostly just one long wall! It was built to give the appearance of a large castle, not to actually be one.

What is Bladon Castle Now?

Over time, parts of the folly were changed into a house. Today, Bladon Castle is located within the grounds of Bladon House School. It is now partly in ruins, meaning some parts are falling apart. Even so, it remains a fascinating example of a historical folly.