page_title: Ilton, North Yorkshire
section_title: Druids' Temple
hierarchical_section_title: Ilton, North Yorkshire / Druids' Temple
caption_attribution_description: English: Druids Temple near Ilton. This folly was created by William Danby (1752 - 1833) to relieve some of the unemployment in the area.
context_page_description: Ilton is a village in North Yorkshire, England, 3 miles south-west of the small town of Masham. It is the principal settlement in the civil parish of Ilton cum Pott, in Harrogate district. The parish includes Roundhill Reservoir. The population of the parish was estimated at 50 in 2015.
context_section_description: Near the village is the Druids' Temple, a replica of Stonehenge built in about 1800 by William Danby of nearby Swinton Park. During a time of agricultural depression and high unemployment, Danby hired local men to construct a moderately large-scale replica of Stonehenge, working at a full shilling a day. The result is a folly of national reputation. He was less successful in hiring a silent druidic hermit to fulfill a seven-year contract, though several tried, for the promised annuity.
caption: Ilton Druid's Temple
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