Castle Drogo

In 1910 Julius Drewe bought about 450 acres (1.8 km²) south and west of the village of Drewsteignton in the belief that he was descended from the Drewe family that once lived here.[2] Born Drew, the son of George Smith Drew and his wife Mary, née Peek, both from substantial families of grocers, Drewe added the "e" to his surname later in life.[3] At the age of 18, Drewe was sent to China as a tea-buyer by his uncle, Francis Peek (c.1836–99), a partner in Liverpool tea-merchants Peek and Winch. Julius's great uncle, Richard Peek (1782–1867), one of the three brothers who founded Peek and Winch, was an abolitionist and philanthropist who was on the organising committee of the anti-slavery conventions held in London in 1840 and 1843. The Peek and Winch company later expanded into coffee, cocoa, rubber and spices, and owned plantations in the Dutch East Indies. In 1878, Drewe returned to Liverpool and opened the Willow Pattern Tea Store. In 1883, Drewe and John Musker (1846–1926) founded the Home and Colonial Trading Association (later Home and Colonial Stores), which sold teas selected in India by Drewe, alongside other groceries. By 1903, the company had 500 stores. By the time of his death in 1931 he had bought up an estate of 1,500 acres. Around 1910 he asked Edwin Lutyens to build him a castle.[4] According to his son Basil, he did so on the advice of Edward Hudson, proprietor of Country Life magazine, who was both a patron and a champion of Lutyens. Drewe was now 54 years old, but he still had time, energy and money to create his new family seat. The budget was £50,000 for the castle, and a further £10,000 for the garden.[5] Lutyens wrote privately of his concern over Drewe's ambitions; "I do wish he didn't want a castle but just a delicious loveable house with plenty of good large rooms in it".[6] On 4 April 1911, Drewe's 55th birthday, the first foundation stone was laid.[7]

Arms of Drewe of Castle Drogo: Ermine, a lion passant per pale gules and or in chief three ears of wheat stalked and bladed of the last.[8] This is a differenced version of the arms of the Drewe family of Broadhembury, from whom Julius Drewe claimed descent

Castle Drogo was the last castle to be built in England.[19] As constructed, the castle represents approximately one third of the building Lutyens originally planned.[20] The intended building would have run the entire length of the ridge, forming three sides of a large courtyard. The existing structure broadly represents the planned eastern wing of the whole. It was to have been matched by a corresponding wing to the west, the two joined by a northern block enclosing the planned great hall.[20] Drewe balked at the costs, although his own decision to double the thickness of all of the walls on grounds of authenticity was a significant factor in their escalation.[20] Pre-war, the plan for the western wing was abandoned, and after the end of hostilities, which had seen the death of Drewe's eldest son, plans for the great hall were also set aside, with the undercroft, which had been constructed, becoming the crypt chapel.[20]

The castle borrows styles of castle building from the medieval and Tudor periods, along with more minimalist contemporary approaches. A notable feature is the encasement of the service staircase, around which the main staircase climbs. Its defensive characteristics are purely decorative. Additionally, the castle had electricity and lifts from the outset, with power being supplied by two turbines on the river below. The castle is a Grade I listed building.[21]

Exterior

The castle essentially comprises a three-storey main block, with a four-storey family and service wing to the side.[22]

Arms showing lion passant and Motto in sculpted relief above the main entrance

Chapel & south façade of house

The castle has a formal garden, designed by Lutyens with planting by George Dillistone, which contrasts with its setting on the edge of Dartmoor. In 1915, Lutyens brought in Gertrude Jekyll to assist with the planning.[24] Jekyll's involvement appears to have been limited to designing the planting for the approach to the castle along the drive.[25] The garden is noted for its rhododendrons and magnolias, herbaceous borders, rose garden, shrub garden and circular grass tennis court now used for croquet. The gardens are Grade II* listed.[26]

• Amery, Colin; and, others (1982). Lutyens, the work of the English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944). London UK: Arts Council of Great Britain. ISBN 9-7807287-0304-9.
• Aslet, Clive (1982). The Last Country Houses. New Haven, USA and London UK: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-02904-7.
• Brown, Jane (1982). Gardens Of A Golden Afternoon. London UK: Penguin Books. ISBN 9-780670-80640-9.
• Brown, Jane (1997). Lutyens and the Edwardians. London UK: Penguin Books. ISBN 9-780140-24269-0.
• Cherry, Bridget; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2004). Devon. The Buildings of England. New Haven, USA and London UK: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09596-1.
• de Moubray, Amicia (2013). Twentieth Century Castles In Britain. London, UK: Frances Lincoln Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7112-3178-8.
• Evans, Siân (2009). Castle Drogo. Swindon, UK: National Trust Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-84359-360-7.
• Franklin, Jill (1981). The Gentleman's Country House and its Plan 1835–1914. London, UK: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7100-0622-5. The Gentleman's Country House and its Plan 1835-1914.
• Greeves, Lydia (2008). Houses of the National Trust. London, UK: National Trust Books. ISBN 9-7819054-0066-9.
• Hussey, Christopher (1950). The Life Of Sir Edwin Lutyens. London UK: Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 9-780907-46259-0.
• Lees-Milne, James (1998). Through Wood And Dale: Diaries, 1975-1978. London UK: John Murray. ISBN 0-7195-5599-X.
• Lutyens, Mary (1980). Edwin Lutyens. London UK: John Murray. ISBN 0-7195-3777-0. OCLC 831339925.
• Ridley, Jane (2003). Edwin Lutyens: His Life, His Wife, His Work. London, UK: Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-6822-5.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Castle Drogo.

• Castle Drogo information at the National Trust