In the grounds of West Dean College you can see an unusual folly that
is preserved for all time!
Two Beech tree trunks about ten foot in height with no branches have been
fossilised in resin. This was the idea of a man named Edward James, who,
when his father passed away in 1921, inherited over 20 Million American
Dollars along with the West Dean estate.
His passion was Surrealist art and he became an avid collector, patron
and friend to artists such as Dali and Magritte. He was considered an eccentric
here in England but in places where he built his follies, he was at his
happiest.
