Shoshiplatypus

I have finally managed to finish sorting through the huge number of photos I took of this outing, and then selecting the ones to upload to my blog.

Castle Drogo – Background

Castle Drogo is one of our local National Trust properties, here in the County of Devon in the UK. It is many years since I have been, but my hubby visited a few years ago when it was undergoing a massive renovation to deal with major water infiltration. At that time, only a limited number of visitors could go round at any one time, and only accompanied by a guide. They had the opportunity to climb up the internal scaffolding and examine the work being done on the roof. There was scaffolding and cladding around the building for several years.

The Castle has has been named “the last castle in England.” It was built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Teign gorge between the years 1911 and 1930, with building work being delayed by the First World War. It was commissioned by Julius Drewe, a self-made millionaire grocer, who appointed Sir Edwin Lutyens to design a country home for him, combining Mediaeval features and the comforts of modern living. It is very solidly built of granite, with thick walls and mullioned windows, and contains many beautiful antiques and tapestries, but has the feeling of a comfortable family home, unlike many National Trust houses that we have visited, which seem to be more like grand museums than places one could dream of living in.

Approaching the Castle

The day began overcast with occasional drizzle, which was a bit disappointing, but by the afternoon it was sunny again, in time for us to enjoy the garden.

It all looks beautifully clean since my last visit! So lovely to see it without the scaffolding.

The door beneath the coat of arms on the magnificent tower is where one enters the Castle.

Inside the Castle

There are many fabulous cabinets, some Chinese and some Spanish, all beautifully decorated.

Vaulted stone ceilings along the corridors. Plenty of granite on view, but offset by plaster which prevents it from feeling oppressive.

One of a pair of magnificent Chinese lacquer screens in the library.

Halfway up the stairs is this magnificent longcase clock. We were just in time to hear it chime the hour at 11 a.m.

This Spanish chest is inlaid with ivory and the detail is staggering. I love the “Grim Reaper” at the bottom, with his scythe! Lots of intriguing animals and human figures. There must be a story behind this…

Stunning marquetry work.

One of my favourite cabinets. I love the lacquer work and the marvellous metalwork of the hinges and lock.

As is usual in most National Trust houses, the dining table was laid for dinner. They arrange everything so that the visitor feels that the owners could appear at any moment, and that life is still going on as normal for them. They often even lay out today’s paper and have fresh flowers.

On this dining table there was laid a truly magnificent set of Venetian glass wineglasses, in a most unusual amber colour.

Another magnificent cabinet, which if I recall correctly, was also Spanish.

My hubby examining something in another vaulted corridor.

One of the things I love about National Trust houses is how they have opened up the less formal areas in recent years – the servants’ quarters, store rooms, the kitchens etc. This really began after the hugely successful TV series “Upstairs Downstairs” which sparked an interest in the lives of those “below stairs” in the grand houses of the past. Here we can see some old leather trunks and a pram, and an early Hoover and carpet beater. In the old days we’d never have been able to see these things!

The airing cupboard is a new addition for the viewing public since my last visit. Servants’ aprons, as well as beautifully embroidered linen for the “upstairs” dwellers.

This is the housekeeper’s sitting room. I love this room, and could imagine myself happily enjoying my down times in this setting. There is an intimacy and simplicity in the servants’ quarters which is lacking in the grander rooms.

Castle Drogo had an advanced electrical system for its day, making use of hydro-electric power from the river running through the nearby gorge.

The electrical switch room.

Here we can see the internal telephone exchange and bell system.

More evidence of the hard work which went on behind the scenes. I love the collection of vintage objects.

The kitchens at Castle Drogo are truly magnificent and you could get lost down there!

This pressure cooker looks like a bomb!

I can just imagine Mrs. Bridges from Upstairs Downstairs, stepping away from her baking for a moment and calling out to the scullery maid, “Ruby? Ruby! Where’s that dratted girl…”

The largest mortar and pestle I have ever seen.

This set of kitchen scales is pretty impressive, too.

Perhaps the pantry is less impressive – I think I have more jars in mine than they do!

The dairy.

Towards the end of his life, Julius Drewe was more or less confined to a single corridor of rooms upstairs. His sitting room-cum-study has some fascinating furniture and artefacts.

Other people’s plumbing always holds a fascination for me, and not least Julius Drewe’s bathoom!

The shower not only has the conventional shower head above, but also squirts water from rows of small holes from the sides!

Bathroom scales.

I love the pattern of the tiles above the washbasin.

Another part of a typical National Trust house that never used to be on view is the nursery. Castle Drogo’s nursery contains a magnificent dolls’ house, complete with grand living areas, servants’ quarters, kitchen, bathroom, and schoolroom.

I loved seeing these old flat-irons. I have two almost identical ones, one complete with its stand as here, on top of our sitting room stove.

That was only a fraction of all the photos I took of the inside of the house.

Into the gardens

We left by way of the terrace which looks out from the rocky outcrop on which the Castle stands.

After we had had our lunch we went around the beautiful gardens.

There were walkways with extraordinary domed structures at the four corners, made from beech trees trained over a frame.

It must have taken many years to complete these.

A view from the garden to the moors beyond.

The view from the beautiful rose garden, which was full of roses of many colours.

We had such a lovely day out. We took our next-door neighbour with us. She is a great friend and a tremendous gardener. She is always giving us raspberries, and now, tomatoes and cucumbers, and in exchange we are happy to share our apples with her. This year the apple crop looks like being another bumper one!

At the end of our visit we had a cup of tea and then went into the shop. I have written about what I bought there in this blog post.

I hope you have enjoyed a vicarious visit to a most unusual place.