£2.5M Grant To Save Devon Castle

The last castle to have been built in England is to be saved from likely ruin thanks to a multimillion-pound grant. 

Castle Drogo in Devon has suffered major structural problems for years, resulting in serious leaks and water penetration throughout the building. If extensive conservation was not undertaken, the National Trust landmark would eventually become inaccessible, castle officials said. But a £2.5 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has spared the historic monument from a less favoured future.  

Castle Drogo, located at Drewsteignton near Exeter, is the last castle to have been built in Britain, between 1911 and 1931. 

Designed by the renowned architect Edwin Lutyens, it was built for Julius Drewe, a food retailing magnate, whose dream was to have an imposing granite fortress that would appear to have existed for hundreds of years. 

The National Trust said 2,355 granite blocks weighing 680 tonnes will have to be removed and then returned as part of the conservation work. Some 900 windows containing over 13,000 panes will be refurbished to stop them leaking and over 60,000 metres of pointing will need to be replaced. 

The future of the castle will also include new learning and exhibition spaces and opportunities to explore the estate's extensive grounds on Dartmoor.