Description:This folly, made up of a circular turret with adjoining arched wall stands on the summit of the hill Mow Cop, approximately 1100 feet above sea level. 111. It measures 32 feet high by 20 feet in diameter and its walls are 3 feet thick. It was built by the Wilbraham family of Rode Hall, Cheshire c1750 as a unusual summerhouse, and focal point. Originally there were two floors in the turret, and it was decorated lavishly in keeping with the Georgian fashions. The folly may also have been used as a beacon, because the original turret roof was concave and therefore able to hold burning material.
In 1847 the folly became the subject of an ownership dispute. Its position on the Staffordshire-Cheshire border led the Sneyd family, who owned the land on the Staffordshire side to claim possession of half of the building. As a result of a court hearing in 1850, the Wilbrahams and Sneyds agreed to share ownership.Both families had a key, while a third was kept at Mow Cop to allow public access.
In more recent times the National Trust took over the site and in 1999 they were forced to fence off the folly to prevent trespassing.