Mad Jack Fuller's Follies: Walk the Folly Trail in Brightling, Sussex - Dr Paul Pope: Psychology Professor, Educator & Photographer

As a child growing up in Burwash, East Sussex, I often walked into the neighbouring village of Brightling and past strange structures: a pyramid in a churchyard, a lone tower hidden in woodland, and a sugarloaf-shaped spire rising over the hedgerows. I always knew they were part of Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies, the work of Brightling’s famously eccentric squire. But it wasn’t until much later that I realised how unusual—and how enduring—his legacy truly is.

This post features photos I’ve taken and stories I’ve heard from the Mad Jack Fuller Folly Trail, a self-guided walk through some of Sussex’s most curious landmarks. Whether you’re interested in the Mad Jack Fuller tomb or pyramid, researching where Jack Fuller lived, or planning your own Mad Jack Fuller walk, this guide will help you discover the colourful history behind one of England’s most fascinating eccentrics.

Key Points: Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies

Mad Jack Fuller (1757–1834) was a flamboyant MP, squire of Brightling, and patron of the arts and sciences.
He commissioned six notable follies: a pyramid tomb, a sugar loaf, an obelisk, a tower, an observatory, and a temple.
These monuments form the Mad Jack Fuller Folly Trail, a 5.5-mile scenic walk around Brightling in East Sussex.
His legacy is controversial—generous and visionary, but also rooted in slavery.
His memory lives on in local legends, ghost stories, and the remarkable landmarks that dot the Sussex landscape.

Old photo of Mad Jack Fuller’s Tower in a wooded copse near Brightling, partially obscured by trees and undergrowth.

Who Was the Man Behind Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies?

John “Mad Jack” Fuller (1757–1834) was a wealthy landowner, Tory MP, and larger-than-life figure in 18th- and 19th-century Sussex. He inherited the Rose Hill estate (now Brightling Park)—where Mad Jack Fuller lived—and became known for his theatrical personality, fierce support of the arts and sciences, and unapologetic stance on slavery, having profited from sugar plantations in the West Indies.

He supported the painter J.M.W. Turner, funded the career of chemist and physicist Michael Faraday, and helped establish the Royal Institution. Locals best remember Fuller for the curious monuments—called Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies—that dot the landscape around Brightling, Sussex.

Marble bust of Mad Jack Fuller by Sir Francis Chantrey beside the large barrel organ he donated to Brightling Church.

Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies: A Guide to the Folly Trail, Brightling

The best way to explore Mad Jack Fuller’s follies is by following the 5.5-mile Mad Jack Fuller Folly Trail, which winds through fields and hills near Brightling in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Here’s what you’ll find along the route:

The Pyramid

In Brightling churchyard stands the mausoleum of Mad Jack Fuller, a pyramid-shaped tomb built in 1811. This 25-foot-high stone structure—commonly called The Pyramid—is Fuller’s most famous folly. Local legend claims that Mad Jack Fuller was buried inside his tomb, seated at a table with wine and chicken. In truth, his grave lies conventionally beneath the floor, but the tale lives on.

Inside St Thomas à Becket Church—which, as kids, we were too scared to enter—you’ll find a marble bust of Jack Fuller, Esq. by Sir Francis Chantrey and a barrel organ he donated—one of the largest still operational in Britain.

Mad Jack Fuller’s pyramid tomb in Brightling churchyard, part of Mad Jack Fuller's Follies in East Sussex — Mad Jack Fuller’s pyramid tomb in Brightling churchyard, part of Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies in East Sussex.

Front view of Mad Jack Fuller’s pyramid tomb in Brightling churchyard, showing its gated entrance and weathered stone facade.

Brightling Needle

This 65-foot obelisk, called “Brightling Needle”, stands atop the village’s highest point, 646ft above sea level. Some say Mad Jack Fuller built it to commemorate Nelson’s triumph at Trafalgar in 1805. Or Wellington’s victory at Waterloo in 1815; others believe it was simply a means to create jobs. Its true purpose remains uncertain, but it’s one of the most striking landmarks on the Mad Jack Fuller Walk.

Brightling Observatory

Although not technically a folly, Fuller built Brightling Observatory to pursue his astronomical interests and express his Enlightenment ideals. Constructed by Sir Robert Smirke (architect of the British Museum) around 1818, it once housed a telescope and camera obscura. It’s now a private home, but you can view it from the Brightling–Burwash road.

Turner even sketched the building in The Observatory at Rosehill Park, the seat of John Fuller, Esq.—a testament to the importance Fuller placed on science.

Brightling Observatory, a domed brick building by the Burwash road, built by Mad Jack Fuller.

The Sugar Loaf

Locals know this 35-foot cone-shaped spire near Wood’s Corner as The Sugar Loaf, and you can see it for miles around. According to legend, Fuller built it overnight (sometime in the early 1820s) after losing a bet—he claimed he could see the spire of St Giles’s Church in Dallington from his home at Rose Hill. While the story’s doubtful (given its sophisticated design), the structure is very real. It once housed a family of seven, according to the 1841 Census.

The Summer House

Hidden in the woods within Brightling Park, the Summer House is a smaller but finely crafted structure made from brick and moulded Coade stone. Erected in 1803, it may have served as a reading nook or romantic retreat. While not accessible from the public folly trail, it shows Fuller’s eye for beauty and detail. It’s also the first of Mad Jack Fuller’s follies, offering sweeping views of the Sussex landscape to the south.

The Rotunda Temple

Elegant and mysterious, “The Rotunda Temple” is a domed structure with Doric columns, possibly used for illicit gambling or private entertaining. Built by Smirke around 1810 with input from the landscaper Humphry Repton, its design reflects neoclassical tastes. Its hollow floor would keep wine cool, which fits Fuller’s legendary appetite for indulgence.

It sits on private land, so the best views are from nearby footpaths—especially on misty mornings when it looks like a ghostly ruin.

The Rotunda Temple, a domed structure with columns, built by Mad Jack Fuller in Brightling Park.

The Tower

Nestled in woodland is The Tower, a 35-foot-high round structure that once had a battlemented top. Some say Fuller built it so he could watch restoration work at Bodiam Castle, which he purchased in 1829. But this seems unlikely, as the tower likely predates that. However, experts suggest that Fuller built this folly—and others—to help smugglers, using their location and hollow cores to hide contraband. The nearby village of Burwash, after all, had a long-standing reputation for smuggling.

To us as children, the Mad Jack Fuller Tower became a place of dares and stories—smugglers, secret meetings, and pagan rituals. Walkers can reach it today via a public footpath, although access to the stairs inside remains restricted.

A round stone tower in Brightling woods, one of Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies, partially hidden among trees.

Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, a moated medieval fortress once owned by Mad Jack Fuller in the 19th century.

Ghost Stories and Local Legends Surrounding Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies

The Mad Jack Fuller follies have long inspired ghost stories in Brightling, Sussex. And no blog would be complete without mentioning them:

The Horseman in the Mist: A motorcyclist once reported riding through a ghostly figure on horseback on a foggy lane. Shaken, he turned back—but it had vanished.
The Vanishing Heir: A 1913 newspaper reported that Fuller’s family permanently sealed two rooms in Rose Hill after Jack’s cousin and heir mysteriously vanished there in 1834. Some believe foul play was involved.

These eerie tales add atmosphere to the walk and show how deeply Fuller’s legacy still lives on in Sussex folklore.

Fuller’s Legacy: Eccentric Philanthropist or Colonial Showman?

It’s tempting to romanticise Mad Jack Fuller as a lovable eccentric whose follies are now part of Sussex’s rural charm. He was undeniably generous, helping the careers of Turner and Faraday and endowing the Royal Institution with two professorships that remain to this day. Locally, he contributed to community projects, such as Eastbourne’s first lifeboat and the Belle Tout lighthouse at Beachy Head.

But he was also a colonial profiteer, defending the slave trade and using wealth from the family’s West Indian sugar plantations to fund his lavish lifestyle. His story is both inspiring and unsettling—a reminder that Mad Jack Fuller’s follies, like history itself, hold complicated truths beneath their surface.

Belle Tout Lighthouse on the cliffs at Beachy Head, East Sussex, funded in part by Mad Jack Fuller.

Plan Your Visit to Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies

Most of Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies are accessible by footpaths via a circular 5.5-mile walking route known as the Folly Trail, which begins near St Thomas à Becket Church in Brightling, East Sussex. The route takes in several key landmarks, including Fuller’s Pyramid tomb, Brightling Needle, Sugar Loaf, Observatory, and The Tower. Some structures sit on private land, so it is best to view them from nearby footpaths.

Use the interactive map below to help plan your walk:

This Google Map highlights the follies and walking routes around Brightling. The best views are early in the morning or on moody, overcast days.

The Rotunda Temple, part of Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies, seen from afar across fields in Brightling Park, East Sussex.

Have You Walked the Trail?

If you’ve explored Mad Jack Fuller’s follies—or have a story to share—I’d love to hear it in the comments below.

If you found this guide to Mad Jack Fuller’s Follies helpful, please share it with fellow walkers. Your support helps others discover this quirky corner of Sussex—and keeps Mad Jack Fuller’s legacy alive.