Megalithic Follies

Abstract

The context of, and sources for, illustrations produced by Soane’s studio on the theme of prehistoric monuments are explored. Reflecting upon the ‘embedding’ of style within the distant past (i.e. the ‘project of origins’), these tell of the changing configuration of the nation’s cultural landscape and provide further insight into the role of ruination in the architect’s work. Two out of the three images considered have ‘fantastic’ attributes and raise issues relating to the interaction of monuments and follies. Others have a direct relation with 3-dimensional model-based presentations, and the nature of the ‘translation’ of imagery between different media is also discussed.