Tallest Folly

At 275 feet, Wainhouse Tower is the tallest folly in the world. It was designed in 1871 by Isaac Booth to serve as a chimney. Its impressive height was because of a new ordinance which ordered chimneys be high enough to carry the smoke out above the valleys where the factories were built - however it never operated as a chimney.  John Wainhouse eventually used it as an observatory - there are 403 steps inside the tower.