Step inside the last castle to be built in England, overlooking the Teign Gorge on Dartmoor. Inside, you can discover its precious treasures, fascinating stories and unique history.
Open areas
<b>Please note:</b> certain rooms and areas of the house are open subject to volunteer availability and conservation work. While we try our best to have all areas open, occasionally we may have to close off certain spaces.
Must-sees at Castle Drogo
Whether you are on a whistlestop tour, or can dedicate a few hours to discover the incredible architecture and collection items we have in our care, the castle has plenty for you to explore. Our Collections and House manager has picked out some bits that you won't want to miss.
Designed by Edwin Lutyens and produced locally from oak and beech for the sum of £48, the table’s shape echoes the circular lantern above. The thin slivers of wood in the table top are a later repair, originally the larger pieces that make up the top would have fitted together perfectly. The table is accompanied by two chopping or pastry boards designed with a curved outer edge to mate the circumference of the table.
The table has recently come back from conservation where the wood slivers have been refitted and the surface has been cleaned. You'll find it in the centre of the Kitchen.
Designed in 1692, by Charles Le Brun, court painter to Louis XIV. This is part of a series of Armorial tapestries glorifying the power of King Louis XIV, known as the Sun King. Here he is shown as the sun with the royal crown above and on either side a pair of scales representing truth and justice. The triumphant chariot is crushing the snake, symbolising the crushing of the people’s rebellion against the King. As a portiere tapestry, it used to hang over a door in the French Royal Palaces, including Versailles. Woven at Les Gobelins Manufactory in Paris it took six weavers nearly four years to create.
Today only a few Char de Triomphe tapestries are known to have survived and this is currently thought to be the only one on display. You can find it in the corridor to the Drawing Room.
Mr. Drewe’s interest in technology and use of clean modern hydroelectricity, generated down on the River Teign extended to warming his tea cup! This is one of many modern comforts enjoyed by Julius in his family home.
Like many self-made men, Drewe loved gadgets and this wonderful brass warmer was designed to keep his cup of tea piping hot. Unlike earlier food warmers powered by fire or candle flame, this device was plugged into one of the 332 electrical plug sockets in the castle and powered by hydroelectricity generated in the valley below. Drewe was ahead of his time, as electric cup warmers are still marketed today as a novelty gadget.
The Library was one of the rooms most used by the family throughout the 20th Century. In combination with the Billiard Room it was used as a multi-purpose, social space. Tea was usually served here and it was also used for informal socialising in the evenings.
The oak ceiling in the Library is mostly decorative and is intended to make you feel like you are in an ancient Norman castle. The wood is attached to the reinforced concrete ceiling. This ceiling was put up green - relatively unseasoned - and this has the effect of making the whole thing look older and more time-worn as the green oak has warped and twisted as it has dried.
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The pets of Castle Drogo trail
The Drewe family had plenty of pets, and we have some of them here at Drogo for you. They have run off around the castle and we can't seem to find them... can you spot them during your visit? There are six in total that need finding. There are two cats, two dogs, a rabbit and even a parrot. We need your help.
Find out more about things to do at Castle Drogo with your family here.
Highlights in the house
Download a copy of the house guide here
(Braille and a BSL guides available on request from the visitor centre and Entrance hall)
Library and Billiard Room
This impressive Library contains a collection of unique decorated ceramic dishes in addition to its many bookshelves. It also has a short, informative video on the history of the castle that we’d recommend to any first time visitor. Whilst you’re here, why not check out the Char de Triomphe tapestry, dating back to the court of King Louis XIV of France, just outside?
The Drawing Room
The Drawing Room contains two Venetian chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, purchased by Julius and Frances Drewe during their honeymoon in 1891. It also includes an old 1840’s writing desk that belonged to Frances Drewe, and before her, King Louis Phillipe I of France. We can tell this because of the royal Fleur De Lis stamp on it, meaning it was part of his royal household.
Come and see what would have been an actual menu given to the Drewe’s dinner guests on display, written in French as was the fashion at the time. The table is lit up by electric candlesticks, a product of Julius Drewe’s love for modern gadgets, and adorned with Venetian glasses bought during his and Frances’ honeymoon. The velvet curtains that protected the cosy atmsophere are very delicate, but you can feel how luxurious they were with the sample in the picture frame.
The Drewe family owned a staggering 374 copper jelly moulds that were all kept in their state of the art kitchen (and still are now). The real moulds tarnish from oils on your hand, but we have replicas so you can feel what they would have been like to work with. The room itself was designed by Lutyens and its modern design was the envy of many other manor houses at the time. A dumb waiter was included for the servants to send food directly up to the Drewe’s rooms.
Frances Drewe’s Boudoir
Frances Drewe’s Boudoir was her own private sitting room to relax in, and currently holds some possessions related to her two daughters, Mary and Frances. One of which is Mary Drewe’s teddy bear from when she was a child, which is currently over 120 years old.
The Memorial Room
The Memorial Room was originally set up by Frances Drewe when her oldest son, Adrian Drewe, was killed fighting in the First World War in 1917. She displayed many of his personal possessions, school photos and college trophies alongside a large portrait showing him in military uniform.
The Chapel was the last part of the castle to be built, with construction finishing in 1930, and is a good place to stop and reflect during a visit. The ceiling is quite low and rounded, and it holds a model replica of the Thiepval Memorial designed by Lutyens to commemorate British and South African soldiers lost in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Behind the scenes tours up to the roof
Join this behind the scenes tour to visit the south roof of Castle Drogo. Discover more about the castle's design, its story and its place in the Dartmoor landscape.
This guided tour will take you up through the top corridors of the castle and onto the southern roof. You will see the design of this area up close and (Dartmoor weather depending) see the breathtaking views across the landscape.
You have to be over 1.2 metres tall to join the tour as well as be physically fit, have a head for heights and be wearing sturdy footwear. Tickets can only be purchased on the day from the visitor centre, first come first served. The tours are subject to weather conditions on the day so may have to be cancelled at the last minute.
Castle Drogo’s garden is the highest garden cared for by the National Trust. Discover circular lawns, formal terraces, a rhododendron garden and a tranquil Chapel Garden at this castle garden on Dartmoor.
Follow the winding paths below the castle into the sheltered Teign Gorge. Explore this ancient gorge teeming with wildlife on trails along the river or soak up views over Dartmoor.
Julius Drewe, a wealthy tea merchant, commissioned Edwin Lutyens to build Castle Drogo in Devon in 1911. He was inspired by a claimed link to the Norman baron Drogo de Teign. Despite delays, scaling down, and persistent leaks, the castle was completed enough for the family to move in by 1926 and later passed to the National Trust in 1974. The Trust finished restoration of the roof in 2021.
Immerse yourself in centuries past at one of the castles, ruins or forts in our care. Uncover the stories behind these historic buildings and learn about their previous residents.
