Castle Drogo
Castle Drogo is the last country castle to be built in Britain. It is located in the south-west of England's county of Devon , near the village of Drewsteignton .
The original design for the pseudo-castle high above the River Teign gorge came from the architect Edwin Lutyens on behalf of Julius Drewe , businessman and founder of the Home and Colonial Stores . The mansion, which was started in 1910 and was never quite completed (in 1930 the money ran out), is made entirely of granite. In terms of style, the architecture is based on castles from the Middle Ages and the Tudor period, combined with contemporary stylistic elements.
The castle has a beautiful formal garden , designed by Lutyens and laid out by Gertrude Jekyll , which stands in clear contrast to the landscape on the edge of the Dartmoor . The planting consists of rhododendrons and magnolias as well as herbaceous borders. The gardens include a rose garden, a garden with ornamental shrubs and a large, circular lawn for croquet .
The property has been owned by the National Trust since 1974 and was the first 20th century property acquired by the foundation. Since 2012, the castle has been undergoing an urgently needed renovation to remedy the ingress of water through the roof and through the windows. The security of the castle is endangered by the ingress of water and would otherwise have had to be closed to the public. The problems with the structure, which among other things originate from the fact that the castle, which was built in a very exposed location above Dartmoor, has no window sills , were noticed as early as 1915, but they have been very obvious since 1933. The National Trust is financing the construction work, among other things, through the sale of parts of the roof, but money is also flowing from the National Lottery to maintain the structure. As part of the renovation, the exhibition in the castle was redesigned and instead of the realistic furnishing of the rooms, the history of the building is now shown in scenic installations. The work, during which the castle is still accessible, is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
Castle Drogo is now one of the most visited castles in Devon and Cornwall, with around 120,000 visitors annually.
Individual evidence
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↑ Castle Drogo opens to visitors during £ 11m refurbishment at BBC News March 9, 2013, accessed March 10, 2013
Dramatic installations help tell the story of Castle Drogo to visitors amidst major building work ( Memento of the original from March 9, 2013 on the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Exeter Express and Echo March 8, 2013, retrieved March 10, 2013 Leaking castle needs £ 10m repairs from BBC News December 27, 2009, retrieved March 10, 2013 Castle Drogo given the £ 2.5m Heritage Lottery Fund grant from BBC News 20 November 2010, accessed March 10, 2013 Castle Drogo gets £ 2.5m Heritage Lottery grant from BBC News July 26, 2012, accessed March 10, 2013
literature
- Rupert O. Matthews: Great Britain. Beauty and tradition. Karl Müller, Erlangen 1995, ISBN 3-86070-120-7 , p. 37.
Web links
- Official site of the National Trust (English)
Coordinates: 50 ° 41 ′ 45 ″ N , 3 ° 48 ′ 40 ″ W.