Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
12 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
13 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
14 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
15 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Coverham Forbidden Corner

Forbidden Corner

A modern English garden of eccentric beasts, follies, and oddities.

Coverham, England

Added By
Annetta Black
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ent...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ent...
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Forbidde...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bel...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ske...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bel...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:For...
Roman temple   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Griffin in a pond   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Stone folly   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Down the mouse hole   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Historical guards   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Going down   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Pick a door   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Don’t trust this   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Stepping stones to a Roman temple   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Legs in a wall   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
  jackeccleston / Atlas Obscura User
  Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
  Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
  Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
  Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
  Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
  Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
  Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
Underground lair   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
  Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
  Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Underground   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
In the temple   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Stained glass folly   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Designed in 1980 as a private pleasure garden in the great English tradition of eccentric green spaces, the Forbidden Corner contains follies and grottoes, statues, installations, tunnels and sculptures.

Colin Armstrong, the owner of Tupgill Park, eventually opened the park to the public with great success. Unfortunately, the correct planning and permitting process had not been observed during construction and the site was nearly shut down. Having survived that near miss, admission is by now pre-booked tickets only.

Visitors to the gardens are not provided with a map of any kind: instead they are given a checklist of places to be discovered.

Related Tags

Follies And Grottoes

Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

Martin, jackeccleston, Capemarsh, Juliejoolz

  • Martin
  • jackeccleston
  • Capemarsh
  • Juliejoolz

Published

January 6, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forbidden_Corner
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1346134/Dales-planners-to-shut-garden-folly-to-deter-tourists.html
Forbidden Corner
Tupgill Park Estate
Coverham, England, DL8 4TJ
United Kingdom
54.275833, -1.856944
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tennants Auction House

North Yorkshire, England

miles away

Harmby Waterfall

Harmby, England

miles away

Abandoned Scar House Village

North Yorkshire, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,212
Stories 144

Nearby Places

Tennants Auction House

North Yorkshire, England

miles away

Harmby Waterfall

Harmby, England

miles away

Abandoned Scar House Village

North Yorkshire, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,212
Stories 144

Related Places

  • An owl made out of shells inside the Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage.

    Newchapel, Wales

    Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage

    This magical grotto is adorned with a complex pattern of native seashells, minerals, and fragments of colored glass.

  • White conical shaped structure with a black bulb-like pinnacle with clouds in the background.

    Bollington, England

    White Nancy

    A strange Georgian folly sits atop a lonely hill.

  • The elaborate top of the tower.

    Halifax, England

    Wainhouse Tower

    This tallest folly in the world began its life as an elaborate factory chimney.

  • Iulia Hasdeu Castle.

    Câmpina, Romania

    Iulia Hasdeu Castle

    This eccentric folly house was designed by Romanian thinker Bogdan-Petriceicu Hasdeu, with a helping hand from his deceased daughter's spirit.

  • Wonder Cave Entrance.

    Rudolph, Wisconsin

    Rudolph Grotto Gardens

    Five acres of divinely inspired folk art.

  • Lyford’s Tower with Angel Island in the background

    Belvedere Tiburon, California

    Lyford's Tower

    Once the gateway to the utopian dream-village of a Civil War embalmer.

  • Witley Wonder Underwater Ballroom

    Godalming, England

    Witley Wonder Underwater Ballroom

    The hidden "ballroom" under a mansion lake was built by a criminal who ate a cyanide pill during his trial.

  • Mow Cop Castle

    Mow Cop, England

    Mow Cop Castle

    This crumbling folly looks like an enchanted left over from Middle Earth.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.