Castle Drogo, 20th century castle in West Devon, England
Castle Drogo is a granite country house built 1911–1930 for Julius Drewe to Edwin Lutyens's designs, above the Teign gorge near Drewsteignton. Its rough rectangular granite blocks in tan, grey and brown rise to a flat, crenellated roofline; a tower-like left section holds an arched doorway, a carved panel and a three-light mullioned window, while the main block has rows of mullioned windows over two storeys.
Construction took place between 1911 and 1930, making it England's final castle, designed by renowned architect Edwin Lutyens for a wealthy businessman. The project represented a deliberate attempt to build a fortress-like house in a traditional style during the modern era.
Julius Drewe added an 'e' to his birth surname, Drew, and chose the site believing it lay on land of his supposed medieval ancestor Drogo de Teigne. Since the 2022 restoration, rooms are shown through staged installations telling the building's history rather than as furnished period interiors. The formal garden was designed by Lutyens and planted by Gertrude Jekyll, with rhododendrons, magnolias, a rose garden and a large circular croquet lawn.
Castle Drogo stands high above the Teign gorge near Drewsteignton, at the edge of Dartmoor, so the approach is by narrow lanes and the grounds are uneven underfoot. The house stayed open during the roof and window repairs that ran from 2013 to June 2022, and the exhibition inside was rearranged into staged installations. A visitor centre with shop and café opened in 2009 outside the Grade I listed house.
Castle Drogo has no window sills, a design choice noted as early as 1915 and obvious by 1933, which let rain penetrate the granite walls. The National Trust funded repairs partly by selling sections of the roof, with lottery money also contributing, and the work ran until June 2022.
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