BEER drinkers can mark the 10th anniversary of the restoration of Flounders’ Folly, the 177-year-old south Shropshire landmark, by trying a glass of Sheer Folly.

The Folly sits on top of Callow Hill to the east of the A49 between Church Stretton and Craven Arms and the Wood Brewery is donating 5p to the Flounders’ Folly Trust for every pint sold of the new beer.

Wood’s first created Sheer Folly in 2003 as part of their ‘Shropshire Heroes and Legends’ series and they help raise funds to restore the Folly by donating money for each pint sold. Now the brewers have re-styled the beer using some of the latest breeds of British hops to mark the 10th anniversary of the complete restoration of the Folly.

The 2015 version of the beer is a golden pale ale of 4.3% strength and will be produced on draught and in bottles for sale at selected licensed premises throughout Shropshire and beyond.

“We’re very grateful to the Wood Brewery and MD Edward Wood for re-launching Sheer Folly to help us again,” said Seabury Salmon, chairman of the Flonders Folly Trust.

“The Folly is still in pretty good shape following the restoration work 10 years ago, but it stands in a very exposed spot and weathering means we inevitably have to spend on maintenance to avoid it deteriorating badly again.”

Flounders’ Folly was completed in 1838 by philanthropist Benjamin Flounders but why he built the tower is a mystery. One story goes that he wanted to create work for local people without jobs.

Another, more fanciful, tale is that he wanted a vantage point from which to watch ships on the Bristol Channel and on the Mersey.