Fancy a walk? Okay, let’s go! We’re in
Brightling, a tiny hamlet sitting atop the Weald, an Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty in East Sussex , and we’ve come
to discover some of the many follies of Mad Jack Fuller. For a brief intro to
Jack, I’ll quote from the walk guidebook we used:
Born in 1757,
John Fuller was variously known as ‘Mad Jack’, ‘Honest Jack’ and
‘Hippopotamus’, an irreverent allusion to his 22-stone bulk and waddling gait.
The owner of a family fortune derived from shrewd investments made possibly by
profitable ventures in the local iron industry in the 16th century, Fuller
inherited the ancestral home – Rose Hill at Brightling – at the age of twenty
and soon made a mark for himself as an MP. Pugnacious and outspoken at the despatch
box, he ruffled numerous Parliamentary feathers, often referring to the Speaker
as ‘that insignificant man in a wig’. By 1810, his days as a politician were
over and he retired to a life of ease in Sussex , devoting his time and
considerable fortune to twin interests in the arts and science, his appetite
for the whimsical and absurd leading to the creation of a rash of follies.
The first of Jack’s follies that we’re
visiting is his last resting place in the churchyard of the lovely Church of St Thomas Becket .
We enter the churchyard from the west and,
as we approach the church, we get our first glimpse of the folly. Yes, that’s a
pyramid-shaped tomb, in which Jack was apparently placed sitting upright on a
chair, wearing a top hat and clutching a bottle of his favourite claret.
We’ll have a look in the barred entrance
but I don’t think we’ll see Mad Jack today.
Here’s another glimpse of the church, from
the eastern end, as we walk past and down Brightling’s main road towards the
next folly.
At the crossroads, we head over to the
kissing gate across the road ...
And from there it’s a stomp along the field
boundaries, following a well-worn track. The weather’s perfect for enjoying the
far-reaching views over the Sussex
countryside.
This is where we’re heading, to the Tower,
a 35-foot stone construction.
We go right up to the Tower, have a look
inside and around about – nothing much to see. Jack supposedly built this folly
so he could see Bodiam
Castle , which he had
purchased in 1828 to save it from demolition. We can’t actually see Bodiam but
maybe the view’s better from the top and, of course, the trees would’ve been
shorter in Jack’s day.
Onwards across the field, across the road
and then steeply downhill on a track past some farm buildings. There are
pheasant breeding pens in the fields so the birds are a common sight hereabouts.
There are two possible routes here, through
this woodland to enjoy the trees or along the edge of it. We’ll stick to the
side track.
And there’s our third and final folly for
today, on a hillside in a distant field.
Unfortunately we can’t get any closer as
it’s on private property but my camera lens allows us to see a bit more. It’s a
small classically styled temple, probably built in 1810 and possibly the
location for some of Mad Jack’s discreet rendezvous with his female friends.
What a character he was!
From the temple, we retrace our steps, back
up that steep hill and along past the church to the car – a good strenuous
stomp to finish off a lovely walk.
If you want to find out more about Mad Jack
and his other follies, check out this link.
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