Old Wardour Castle

Old Wardour Castle is a ruin that dates back to the 1390s, originally built for John, the fifth Lord Lovel. It was remodeled in the 1570s for Sir Matthew Arundell by the architect Robert Smythson. The castle is constructed from limestone ashlar and features a hexagonal plan with projecting towers on either side of the north entrance, which leads to an enclosed hexagonal courtyard.

The structure has two storeys and six windows facing the entrance. A central round-arched doorway from the 1570s is adorned with block rustication on the pilasters and has shell-headed niches on either side. Above the doorway, a Latin inscription notes the date of the rebuilding. The hall above is illuminated by two large 14th-century pointed windows, although the tracery is missing. Corbels for machicolation are present above, and the flanking towers feature four symmetrically placed two-light Tudor-arched windows, along with a moulded string course decorated with rosettes that once supported a parapet. The other sides of the castle have groups of three Tudor-arched lights, some of which are blind to maintain symmetry.

The southwest wall has been completely destroyed, along with parts of the west and south walls. Inside the courtyard, there is a fine classical doorway from the 1570s leading to the foot of the stairs. This doorway features a round arch with fluted pilasters supporting a Doric entablature, with decorated spandrels and plinths featuring lions' heads. The main interior feature is the first-floor hall above the entrance, which includes a screens passage and services at the southeast end, as well as vaulted undercrofts and an entrance passage below. Other living spaces, including the lord's chambers, were located in three-storey ranges to the west and south of the hall.

The castle suffered significant damage during the Civil War sieges of 1643 and 1644 and was eventually replaced by James Paine's Wardour Castle in 1776, with the bailey being transformed into pleasure gardens. Old Wardour Castle is a scheduled ancient monument, listed as Wiltshire No 243.