Castle Drogo

Castle Drogo is a large country house, known as "the last castle built in England," constructed between 1911 and 1930 for Julius Drewe by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is made entirely of granite with massive ashlar facing. The house is dramatically situated along the top and east of a high granite spur, overlooking the steep-sided wooded gorge of the River Teign. Its construction style features solid stone walls, an embattled parapet, and even a portcullis at the main doorway, giving it the appearance of a medieval castle. However, it functions as a domestic house, with large mullion-and-transomed windows that contain rectangular panes of leaded glass. The interior, which is well-documented in published plans and descriptions, retains its original furnishings and fittings, some of which were designed by Lutyens. Since the house is relatively recent, it remains virtually as it was completed, making it a perfectly preserved architectural masterpiece. Although Lutyens was unable to realize his full vision, Castle Drogo is still regarded as one of the finest 20th-century houses in Great Britain.