We love a good folly here at Maps Explorer. Before we go any further: no, we’re not referring to war in the Middle East or the relative wisdom of admitting an elephant onto the set of a children’s television programme. We’re talking the final definition in Merriam-Webster:

5: an often extravagant picturesque building erected to suit a fanciful taste

These wild structures are usually the result of some eccentric spirit with ambitions wider than the plodding standards of civilisation are willing to encompass. The neighbours are occasionally a little nonplussed at living next to, let’s say, a scale model of the Eiffel Tower constructed solely of dessert spoons, but in our book these weird and wonderful buildings are often the highlight of a rather mundane landscape.

Its baroque grandeur sticks out like some unhinged backwoods Gaudi

A wonderful example is to be found near Fairview, Colorado, in the shape of Bishop’s Castle. What started life as a one-room cottage has gradually expanded into a structure whose baroque grandeur sticks out from its surroundings like some unhinged backwoods Gaudi. It seems Jim is not yet content with his monolithic endeavour, and is currently at work adding a ballroom, a dragon-shaped furnace (!), a chapel, and a number of working fireplaces.

It’s all very well to survey this monument to Jim’s determination from the roadside, but you really have to get inside to appreciate the majestic achievement this building represents. Entrance is free and the site is open to the public all year round. The only thing you need to watch out for in this part of the world is the weather, which is, by all accounts, generally cold and damp. Well, at least Jim is getting good practice in should one of the British Royal Family require an extension to Balmoral or Buckingham Palace. He’ll know exactly which materials the climate demands.