End in sight for Castle Drogo’s monumental restoration project

Following six years of major restoration work, the National Trust’s ambitious project to save Castle Drogo, the last castle built in England, is nearing completion. Building work will still be visible, with some external work to be carried out during 2019, however, for the first time in its life the building will be watertight.

Staff now have a big task ahead of them as they begin the huge job of moving all the contents, many of which have been in storage, back in. It’s a job which is expected to take all year. There’s plenty to do - from painting and decorating, to rediscovering items of the castle’s collection which have been hidden from view all these years.

Indoors, visitors will be able to watch the process of the team turning the castle once again into a family home. Outside, scaffolding will remain around parts of the building for much of the year whilst final work is being done. Work to the Chapel garden will also be completed and the garden team will be busy planting and restoring the grounds as they are gradually vacated by the builders.

During a restoration project of such enormous scale and complexity there have been plenty of surprises thrown at the project team. There were many more construction issues encountered during the work than were expected and the very special kind of weather, only experienced in a location as high and as exposed as at Castle Drogo, has on many occasions prevented work from being carried out.

Rebecca Glover, Visitor Experience Manager for the Trust said, “This year we are really highlighting the architecture of the castle and the story of the Drewe’s moving in during the winter of 1926.  The castle was built entirely out of granite, one of the hardest materials to build with and around the castle you’ll see many features which would have taken skilled stonemasons months to achieve.”

Work to rebuild the masonry on the north wing is now proceeding apace and at last two-thirds of the building is now watertight, plus almost all of the 913 windows in the castle have been refitted. The east elevation of the castle is complete with the other sections making good progress. All things being well, the castle will be entirely watertight against the elements, by the end of this year.

Tim Cambourne, National Trust Project Manager said, “This project has been far from easy and has at times posed tough challenges to the whole team. The unique nature of the original construction and design has required a unique solution to deal with the fabric issues. This has greatly impacted on the time needed to undertake the repairs. This, coupled with every type of possible weather has been a challenge - truly conservation work on a monumental scale. Nothing like it is likely to be seen for a very long time.”

It’s expected that it will take most of 2019 to unpack, redecorate and restore the castle back into the Drewe’s family home; providing a unique chance for visitors to see conservation in action as it is put back together. Some rooms in the castle will have the collection back on display, reflecting how the Drewe family would have lived in them. Others will be in transition throughout 2019, telling the story of the Drewe family moving in during 1926.

Throughout the year lots of conservation work will be happening whilst the castle is open. This will include tapestries being re-hung and the collection being cleaned after being packed away for so long and rooms reopen. 

Ben Dale, Heritage Manager said, “It is a really exciting time at Castle Drogo as the building project reaches a conclusion and we open rooms that have been closed off due to the works.  We’re also starting to unpack some of the gems of our collection safely stored away for over six years.  There’s still lots to do this year but it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the work which goes into looking after a historic home.”

The castle is open every day until Sunday 27 October.

For more information visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo