Sham Castle

Sham Castle stands on Claverton Down above Bath. It is a screen wall with a pointed arch in the centre and two three-storey circular turrets on either side. These turrets widen into two-storey square towers at the ends of the wall. The building is listed at Grade II* and was probably designed around 1755 by Sanderson Miller. It was built in 1762 by Richard James, master mason for Ralph Allen, to improve the view from Allen’s town house in Bath. The castle is now lit at night. The folly belongs to a group of 18th-century sham castles across England. Other examples stand at Hagley Hall, Clent Grove, Castle Hill, Filleigh and two at Croome Court. Ralph Allen’s Prior Park Landscape Garden contains the Sham Bridge, a screen at the end of the Serpentine Lake that looks like a bridge. Midford Castle is another nearby folly, one of three overlooking Bath; the others are Beckford’s Tower and Browne’s Folly. Visitors find a striking screen wall rising above Bath’s skyline. The central arch and flanking turrets create a grand outline against the sky. The two square towers at each end add solidity to the design. The night-time illumination turns the castle into a glowing landmark. From the site there are wide views over Bath and the surrounding countryside. The nearby Sham Bridge and Midford Castle offer further examples of the same playful architecture.