National Trust Castle Drogo Review
Castle Drogo
Devon
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo
Reviewed by Helen Wyatt
Today (11 April 2015) we visited a National Trust site in Drewsteignton, Devon called Castle Drogo; this site is the home of the last castle in England and was the brainchild of Julius Drew at the beginning of the 20th century, self-made millionaire who decided that he wanted to build a castle and that’s exactly what he did. It took 20 years to build but encountered a significant problem with leaks through the flat roof. Due to this problem the site is currently undergoing extensive lengthy restoration. The grounds and gardens are large and the castle is unbelievable massive! There was plenty of free parking available, with particular areas dedicated to those with dogs – dogs were allowed in to the grounds but only in certain areas. We located the site fairly easily, despite it essentially being hidden away in rural Devon; there were a number of “brown signs” directing us and after a while I ignored the satnav and relied on these, which got us straight there!
We visited on a sunny Saturday in April, and were warmly welcomed by the volunteer manning the reception desk. We were given a sheet for the children to complete, which involved them locating a number of boxes around the grounds and garden to answer questions and find a stamp. When they had completed this they could choose a prize – this trail was at a small additional cost to the normal entry price. The volunteer took the time to explain the trail directly to the children, and also took the time to direct us to where we might be best to start the trail.
The staff and volunteers are visible in a number of areas around the castle and grounds and willing to answer any questions you may have. We visited the castle itself and there was another trail for the children to follow, to keep them engaged while the adults could look in more detail the castles interior. The castle is an impressive granite structure and I was reliably informed that the parapets alone took over 2500 blocks of granite to complete. It was interesting to see all the blocks of granite that had been removed from a number of areas in the castle laid out in the grounds whilst restoration was undertaken; this was the stance of the National Trust throughout the grounds – they were very open about the work being undertaken and made a feature of the restoration rather than simply closing areas off completely, which they could easily have done.
There has been a lot of work undertaken to bring art exhibits into the castle so as to bring interesting features into different rooms, such as the “outside in” room which showcased what would have happened to the castle if restoration work was not started, or the art work around “the first drip” which was caught by Mr Drew in 1927, and showing the significance of the very small drip that turned into a very serious leak. Amongst a number of other things, you can also view a huge detailed 300 year old tapestry, and not only view the front but also the back to see where all the previous restoration work had been undertaken.
The children hugely enjoyed the trail around the grounds, referring to the provided map to try and locate the boxes and collect the stamps. They were very excited to hand in their completed forms and choose their prizes, and they learned one or two things about the family home along the way too.
The gardens are extensive and beautiful; they are clearly very well cared for and contain a number of interesting areas such as a large circular croquet lawn (currently fenced off whilst the lawn was reseeded), a wooden wendy house that was played with by one of the grandchildren of the original owner (with its own garden and pond), and live roofs made by training trees to grow into structured roofs.
There was no noticeable rubbish anyway, and everywhere we visited was clean and tidy.
The cafe was possibly a little overpriced with a somewhat limited menu however the food was tasty and provided swiftly after ordering. It was good to see they did not only take cash, which some places are restricted to. The cakes looked delicious and the one we tried certainly lived up to expectations. The tea provided seemed ample for 1 however by the time I had used half of the additional hot water I had lost most of the flavour from the tea bag so an additional tea bag may have been helpful. There was additional seating outside, and also a small play area for young children.
There were plenty of available toilets and all seemed clean.
The gift shop was well laid out and whilst there was one area full of the usual silly toys that one can usually expect in any gift shop, the rest was dedicated to a wide selection of items linked to the grounds, such as plants, gardening equipment, kitchen equipment, food and drink. I would comment that some of the items were in the higher price range which would mean the normal visitor wouldn’t or couldn’t buy them (such as a sculpture for £100) however there were a large number of items more reasonably priced. The staff member in the shop helpfully offered a box to transport the plant I bought in, and wrapped the glass item I also bought up separately to protect it.
We would absolutely recommend this National Trust site to anyone to visit; a family day ticket, for example, costs £24 which is a reasonable price to pay for a full day with access to all the grounds and gardens and a visit to the castle as well. You can also book onto “hard hat tours” which take you on behind the scenes visits, and other similar extras for additional costs. Most of these wouldn’t be suitable for children though. In addition you could pay to become a National Trust member – the website states: “As a member you will enjoy unlimited entry to hundreds of places, a handbook to help you plan your visits, three issues of the National Trust Magazine and free car parking at most of our places. And you’ll receive a free pair of binoculars.” At £8.67 a month for a family membership for example and access to over 500 sites across the UK, this is well worth the investment.
All in all this was a very enjoyable visit for both adults and children, with the site catering for all to try and ensure that everyone was engaged throughout despite the ongoing restoration work. There was a lot of fascinating information available and we are really looking forward to seeing the castle when it has been completely restored.
Rating: 5/5 
Admission prices for the whole property (with Gift Aid): Adult £8.70 (£9.60), Child £4.30 (£4.80), Family £21.80 (£24).
For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo.
Castle Drogo, Drewsteignton, near Exeter, Devon, EX6 6PB | 01647 433306
