This
stone structure is one of the only two found in Ireland. The Pyramid
is an example of a folly. A folly was building that served no
purpose and there are five main types: Temples, Pillars, Grottos,
and Small Castles. At the Neale there are two well known follies
- one in serious disrepair - The Temple and one well preserved
- The Pyramid (weatherclock). This step pyramidwas built around
1760 and is a 30 foot structure rising from a series of steps
from the base nearly 40 feet in width. The present John Kilmaine
in Alcester, England gave us the following information: "It
is said that the pyramid is constructed on the old tumulus. The
building of the pyramid is attributed to Sir John Browne the 7th
Baronet and 1st Baron of Kilmaine, in memory of his brother, Sir
George Browne. The structure, which at one time was crowned by
a lead figure of Apollo, was designed by the Earl of Charlemont
for his brother in law, Sir John Browne, The Neale". There
are a few varying stories of the building of the Pyramid. One
such story is that Lord Kilmaine was anxious to find a way of
relieving the extreme poverty of his tenants in the post famine
years, so he eemployed several men to pick up the stones around
the estate.He had those stones piled up and built into a pyramid.
This provided the poor people with a little additional income.
In the later years a wind-vane adorned the top of the pyramid,
so the landlord could indulge in his passion for meteorology and
the recording of weather systems over a pereiod of 30 years. The
Office of Public Works refurbishedthe Pyramid in 1990. |
