One of the more unusual places I visited on my trip to the UK, Castle Drogo was the last castle to be built in England, between 1911 and 1930. Julius Drewe made his fortune from establishing the then hugely popular, now forgotten Home and Colonial Stores. At the age of 54 he decided to build a castle, and employed the renowned architect Edwin Lutyens, responsible for much of New Delhi. The result is a granite masterpiece, the first twentieth century building to be acquired by the National Trust.
It is a striking sight, with the walls doubled in thickness by Drewe from Lutyens original design to be more authentically castle like.
The original 1911 design was also three times larger, shown by these models.
Inside the corridors are certainly castle like, not particularly homely.
The rooms are quite comfortable though with nods toward the medieval.
The servants quarters are noticeably less grand but still smart. The house had power from hydroelectric generators on the nearby river.
The kitchen was pretty impressive.
As were the bathrooms, complete with these cutting edge shower / bath combos.
Julius died a year after the castle was completed, but had been able to live in it since 1925. He was never the same after the death of his son at the Somme in 1917. A dedicated room is a memorial to him.
Underneath the house is the family chapel.
To finish with the rather lovely gardens, looking good even on a grey day.
