Castle Drogo

Castle Drogo stands on a ridge above Drewsteignton in Devon, a granite country house built between 1911 and 1930. It is the last castle constructed in England, designed by Edwin Lutyens for Julius Drewe, founder of the Home and Colonial Stores. The site was chosen by Drewe, who believed it belonged to a medieval ancestor. Lutyens privately worried about Drewe’s insistence on a castle but produced one of his finest works. The building blends medieval and Tudor styles with modern features like electricity and lifts from the start. It was completed in 1930, a year before Drewe’s death. The castle is worth visiting for its architectural significance and dramatic setting. It was the first 20th-century building acquired by the National Trust in 1974 and is Grade I listed. The gardens, designed by Lutyens with planting by Gertrude Jekyll, contrast sharply with the wild moorland backdrop. The house reflects Drewe’s ambition and Lutyens’s skill, despite delays caused by the First World War and personal tragedy. The interior includes four reception rooms, a library, dining room and drawing room. The service staircase, encased in stone, spirals around the main staircase, adding to the castle’s layered design. Visitors find a granite fortress softened by formal gardens and sweeping views over Dartmoor. The formal garden features rhododendrons, magnolias, herbaceous borders and a rose garden, designed to contrast with the rugged landscape. The castle’s exterior is a three-storey main block with a four-storey wing for family and services. Inside, the hall, library and drawing room remain largely unchanged since the 1920s. The chapel, restored in 2007, shows the care taken to preserve the building. The surrounding estate includes farmland and cottages gifted to the National Trust.