Ragged Castle Or Keeper'S Lodge

Ragged Castle, also known as Keeper's Lodge, is a folly and eyecatcher built around 1750 by Thomas Wright of Durham. Constructed from rubble, the roof has since disappeared. The building features a castellated Gothick style with a heavy influence from Vanbrugh. It has a square shape with a projecting semi-circular stair turret and a stack on the opposite side. The parapet is supported by a corbel table and has heavy, irregular stone slab castellations. There are blocked single light windows beneath a heavy dripstone. A plank studded door is located on the north-west side under a lean-to porch. Inside, there is a single room per floor, each with 19th-century fireplaces. The castle is situated on a motte at the end of one of the main drives leading from Badminton House. It is one of several buildings designed by Wright for the 4th Duke of Beaufort and is part of his notable collection of garden and park buildings, constructed between 1748 and 1756.