Triangular Lodge, Rushton
Triangular Lodge, Rushton is a folly designed by Sir Thomas Tresham and constructed in 1593 and is a testament to the Holy Trinity, with most elements of the building incorporating the number three.
It is a three sided building with three stories and inside there are three annexes. Each of the three sides has three gabled protrusions and three gargoyles. Each side has three windows each made up of three panes of glass and many decorative carvings, each heavily carrying the theme of the Holy Trinity. There is a thirty-three letter passage of Latin on each of the three sides.
There are also cryptic puzzles built into the structure, relating to Catholicism in some way. An example of which is the numbers '3333' over the archway into the building. The numbers are deformed and can be read as '5555', which when subtracted from the yeah the building's construction was started it corresponds to a symbolic chapter of the Old Testament.
The challenges faced by the architect would have been relating to fitting in the special features, such as each wall being thirty three feet long and the chimney being three sided.
The building was constructed with traditional 16th century materials like stone bricks and carved stone sections for decoration. It is held together with mortar and due to its design, the structures own weight holds it in place.
The reason I like this building so much is all down to its nature as a folly. Built with no functional motive in mind, it was built for a symbolic purpose as a lasting and subtle protest against the reformation of religion in England in the 16th century. In one sense it belonged to everyone who shared the architect's beliefs and now it belongs to the public as an English heritage site.
