| Castle Drogo was the last castle to be built in England being
built over 20 years from 1910 to 1930. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens
between 1910 - 1913 for Sir Julius Drewe who had made a fortune out of his
chain of Home and Colonial Stores. The construction of the building took
20 years with the castle being built from granite and every block specially
quarried. Sir Julius Drewe saw his castle completed but unfortunately died
one year afterwards in 1931. However, there is still a private apartment
here used by the Drew family. Originally the castle was designed to be much
bigger but a smaller design was introduced in 1912 to make the house more
of a home. The castle sits 900 feet above the Teign Gorge with magnificent
views across Dartmoor. There is a large formal garden, an informal one and
lovely walks through the estate which covers just over 600acres. The castle
inside is lovely too. Built of granite, it has the character of a comfortable
family home inside equipped with the latest comforts of the time including
elaborate, well, equipped bathrooms. It was staffed by 18 servants with
a further 11 staff being employed outside. |
