Forbidden Corner

The Forbidden Corner

The Garden Entrance
Slogan	The Strangest Place In The World
Location	North Yorkshire, England
Coordinates	54°16′33″N 1°51′25″W / 54.27583°N 1.85694°WCoordinates: 54°16′33″N 1°51′25″W / 54.27583°N 1.85694°W
Owner	Tupgill Park Estate
Operating season	April to Christmas
Area	4 acres (16,000 m^2)
Rides
Total	0
Website	Forbidden Corner

The Forbidden Corner is a folly-filled garden open to the public in the grounds of the Tupgill Park Estate near Leyburn in North Yorkshire, England. The acclaimed garden features on the Huffington Post "Top 10 Pieces of Folly Architecture."^[1]

History

Developed in the 1980s by Colin Armstrong, the owner of Tupgill Park, in association with the architect Malcolm Tempest the gardens were originally conceived as a private pleasure garden. They were subsequently expanded and opened to the public.^[2] The gardens were built and opened without the necessary planning permission and were threatened with closure by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority in 2001,^[3] a decision that was overturned on appeal.^[4] The gardens are now a very successful and popular attraction, and have been voted the best European folly of the 20th century by the Folly Fellowship and best children's attraction in Yorkshire.^[5]

Description

The Forbidden Corner consists of a number of follies, woodlands, walled gardens, tunnels and grottoes furnished with statues, installations and other works of art, architecture, animated models and various oddities largely drawn from the European classical tradition, along with particular fancies of the proprietor and architect. As a whole these are arranged to create a maze for the visitor to explore. No map of the gardens is provided. There is instead an illustrated checklist of items to be found, completion of which will confirm complete exploration of the gardens.^[6]

Admission is by pre-booked tickets only.^[7]

References

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/10/the-top-10-pieces-of-foll_n_1087467.html?ref=travel&ir=Travel#s463570title=The_Wonderful_Barn
2. Colin Armstrong (2001). Behind the Forbidden Corner. Forbidden Corner. ISBN 0-9541047-1-4.
3. David Harrison (2 July 2000). "Dales planners to shut garden folly to deter tourists". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
4. Paul Stokes (16 August 2000). "Objection to garden was folly, says victorious estate owner". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
5. "The Forbidden Corner". Day Out with the Kids. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
6. "What did you see?". The Forbidden Corner. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
7. "Admission Prices & Opening Hours". The Forbidden Corner. Retrieved 3 August 2014.