tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post2986281641330809146..comments2024-03-23T16:18:34.397+00:00Comments on Where Five Valleys Meet: The Last Castle Built in EnglandRosemaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-42382371663069501812014-04-02T19:35:41.274+01:002014-04-02T19:35:41.274+01:00We saw that programme too Perpetua. We were thinki...We saw that programme too Perpetua. We were thinking of calling in to see Castle Drogo anyway on our way down to Cornwall and that programme clinched it for us.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-26177818211594097882014-04-02T16:00:10.777+01:002014-04-02T16:00:10.777+01:00it was fascinating to read this, Rosemary, not lon...it was fascinating to read this, Rosemary, not long after having watched a Time Team special on the work of Edward Lutyens, which spent a lot of time on Drogo Castle and its restoration. Gorgeous photos as always.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-36365190279499942572014-03-29T07:17:01.775+00:002014-03-29T07:17:01.775+00:00I really feel a bit of a cheat here, the scaffoldi...I really feel a bit of a cheat here, the scaffolding had a stairway to climb up, and although a bit wobbly was perfectly safe and easy to climb. It was all netted too for protection. Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-69536385803517251922014-03-29T04:56:48.290+00:002014-03-29T04:56:48.290+00:00So many young lives wasted in WWI. It still makes ...So many young lives wasted in WWI. It still makes me sad to read about the families who lost their sons or brothers or fathers. Such a terribly sad time. But, at any rate, I still enjoyed reading your post and looking a the photos Rosemary. I don't think I'd be climbing any scaffolding, but I could wait on the ground and offer encouragement to the brave and hardy. :) I'm glad to read that the castle is being restored for future generations. That's the way it should be. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-14706775620011236742014-03-25T08:03:48.961+00:002014-03-25T08:03:48.961+00:00♡♡Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-16069959534922149302014-03-24T22:49:56.591+00:002014-03-24T22:49:56.591+00:00Gulp! We are due there soon so will see how brave...Gulp! We are due there soon so will see how brave I feel on the day!Lesley FWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12247438565652841445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-87157392357250945632014-03-24T07:31:57.474+00:002014-03-24T07:31:57.474+00:00Bravo Mr. Paul, you are the first commenter who wo...Bravo Mr. Paul, you are the first commenter who would venture up the scaffolding without a moments hesitation. It was well worth the climb to have the view down Piddledoh Craigs and to see the extent of the work being undertaken.<br />Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-84600584680581656302014-03-24T07:26:31.437+00:002014-03-24T07:26:31.437+00:00I am excited to know that you are coming over Susa...I am excited to know that you are coming over Susan. The climb is not difficult - there is a scaffolding stairway, it looks more difficult than it is.<br />You can buy individual cups, saucers, and plates etc exclusively in the Castle Drogo shop.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-1150127168007070372014-03-24T07:14:49.702+00:002014-03-24T07:14:49.702+00:00Well I must say that the Rashtrapati Bhavan is a m...Well I must say that the Rashtrapati Bhavan is a mighty impressive statement of power isn't it! Castle Drogo looks like an incredible day out, the merest whiff of a hard hat and some scaffolding and be shimming up those ladders quicker than you can say health and safety. The wall panels are beautifully carved, the gardens look beautifully structured and I want that skylight in my kitchen! :)Mr Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08570356924117694493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-68400378110282857692014-03-24T00:03:04.260+00:002014-03-24T00:03:04.260+00:00I think this is going on my visit list for the rap...I think this is going on my visit list for the rapidly approaching trip. Lutyens architecture and landscape in one visit. Will I be brave enough to climb the scaffolding? If I do, much whimpering will be involved. The tea set is a huge temptation and may make a huge dent in my discretionary spending.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12830177691014290662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-11341378443605913642014-03-23T23:13:50.136+00:002014-03-23T23:13:50.136+00:00I think that they closed down in the 1960s Nilly -...I think that they closed down in the 1960s Nilly - John Betjeman immortalised Home and Colonial in his poem Myfanwy<br />Smooth down the Avenue glitters the bicycle,<br />Black-stockinged legs under navy blue serge,<br />Home and Colonial, Star, International,<br />Balancing bicycle leant on the verge.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-33980500515211637482014-03-23T22:40:54.161+00:002014-03-23T22:40:54.161+00:00Thank you Rosemary - I would not have dared to cli...Thank you Rosemary - I would not have dared to climb the scaffolding as I have no head for heights. I do dare to admit that I remember Home and Colonial Stores! nillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09733433402466612700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-88668042950791904832014-03-23T16:00:08.656+00:002014-03-23T16:00:08.656+00:00You are right Linda - all of the contents have bee...You are right Linda - all of the contents have been numbered and catalogued and carefully cleaned, and put away in special tissue paper to prevent attacks from moths etc.<br />The portrait of Julius was a photo I took of a painting in the castle, and it turned out much better than I imagined it would.<br />Yes, there was no fairytale ending to this story for Julius Drewe.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-20922633789396171192014-03-23T15:56:27.390+00:002014-03-23T15:56:27.390+00:00It really looks much more difficult on the photos ...It really looks much more difficult on the photos than it actually was to climb up Merisi - I feel a bit of a fraud that everyone imagines it was harder than it was.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-58032739738741298742014-03-23T15:54:49.000+00:002014-03-23T15:54:49.000+00:00Dear Yoko - I am sure that you have as much courag...Dear Yoko - I am sure that you have as much courage as me, and that you would have managed to climb very well. It was all very secure and the stairway was netted. <br />I doubt if any castles will ever be built in the UK again. This one is costing 11 million pounds just to repair it.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-25742058962986454102014-03-23T15:19:44.958+00:002014-03-23T15:19:44.958+00:00It must be a massive undertaking for the NT; remo...It must be a massive undertaking for the NT; removing and storing the contents, erecting the scaffolding and then making the property watertight. I'm sure it was an interesting experience to see the work that has been done so far, especially the roof space and to walk around the estate. Thank you for the tour and the information about the owner and Lutyens, the architect. I like the portrait of Julius Drewe. It's a shame that he didn't get to enjoy living in the castle and the death of his eldest son in WWI must have been a terrible blow. Linda Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10634839688042592781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-22519056136911654472014-03-23T15:15:19.927+00:002014-03-23T15:15:19.927+00:00What a grand castle Mr. Drewe built!
You are very...What a grand castle Mr. Drewe built! <br />You are very courageous, I cannot imagine scaling a scaffolding that high. <br />Merisihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16781937797213521146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-79882119875735976312014-03-23T14:35:00.110+00:002014-03-23T14:35:00.110+00:00You are so courageous, rosemary, to have climbed u...You are so courageous, rosemary, to have climbed up to that height, but seeing from some of your posts you seem to have had nice experience thanks to your courage and curiosity. The architecture made from granite, roof window, interior of contemporary simplicity with the flavor of Tudor period, and Wendy House, were some of the most impressive to me. There seem to be no castles built after Meiji Restoration (1868) in Japan. I didn’t know such a chemical weapon like mustard gas was used in WWI. <br /><br />Yoko<br /><br />stardusthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10684501661629146087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-62888237272471499362014-03-23T10:22:52.039+00:002014-03-23T10:22:52.039+00:00Thank you for your kind comment, I am pleased that...Thank you for your kind comment, I am pleased that you enjoyed seeing the tour of the castle. Sadly this castle had no fairytale ending.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-84028123975081985092014-03-23T10:20:34.774+00:002014-03-23T10:20:34.774+00:00Dear Marian - Thank you for this very appropriate ...Dear Marian - Thank you for this very appropriate and thoughtful comment. I was thinking about the two construction workers who were killed in Ypres whilst I was writing this post - it is a frightening thing to realise that this awful legacy still lives on, and those two men have paid a terrible price with their lives.<br />Lutyens is of course as you mentioned the name that comes to mind when we think about the design of war memorials. Even in our little villages there are war memorial crosses that he designed, and of course the main one in this country being The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London where the Remembrance Day Parade takes place. Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-2857945454913139212014-03-23T07:33:47.069+00:002014-03-23T07:33:47.069+00:00This is such an interesting tour with great archit...This is such an interesting tour with great architecture and attention to details. Taking 20 years to complete, it must have been a mission build on love and passion. It was unfortunate that the completion was blighted with death and sorrow. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01083409767851425580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-30796528092573089132014-03-23T00:01:31.068+00:002014-03-23T00:01:31.068+00:00Dear Valerie - the area that is covered is still t...Dear Valerie - the area that is covered is still the old part of the castle which is being restored to make it waterproof, so underneath it will carry on as before. It belongs to the National Trust and is being safeguarded for the future. It will not be used for B & B but I expect that there is the possibility that it could be used for weddings in the future.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-25945973740496798302014-03-22T23:58:15.484+00:002014-03-22T23:58:15.484+00:00Hi Rosemary, such an interesting post again. Must ...Hi Rosemary, such an interesting post again. Must be so very special to be able to see the restorations like that and I think your picture of part of the castle visable through the trees and the yellow daffodils and then part of the castle hidden for restoration is fantastic. I do know the name Lutyens of course as the designer of many, many war cemeteries. Did you know three weeks ago hundreds of unexploded mustard gas bombs were found under the field of a farmer in the area? Farmers are used to finding bombs from WWI here but after he had dug out almost hundred bombs the farmer thought it cleverer to call DOVO to finish the job. When they discovered it were all poison gas bombs, immediately a perimeter was set in which people couldn't enter anymore. The digging up is still going on now and the perimeter is still set, people living in that perimeter have to be ready to leave immediately if necessary. It is the largest find of unexploded poison gas bombs from WWI ever, years after that terrible war started, a war that affected so many people all over the world. Just last week, two construction workers were killed in Ypres manipulating a bomb that was lying on the field around the building they worked in, waiting to be retrieved by DOVO. Just awful.<br />Marianflowersandhomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02262453899981838266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-6246160171862956282014-03-22T23:57:45.865+00:002014-03-22T23:57:45.865+00:00Dear Madelief - you are so kind with your comments...Dear Madelief - you are so kind with your comments for which I thank you. Do hope that you have the chance to visit Castle Drogo at some time in the future - you would find it interesting.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046286238110595318.post-86561698365730788112014-03-22T20:41:53.402+00:002014-03-22T20:41:53.402+00:00Dear Rosmary,
It's always a delight to read y...Dear Rosmary,<br /><br />It's always a delight to read your post. Especially for me as an Anglophile :-) I enjoyed seeing the gardens and beautiful countryside around the castle. Whenever I am in Devon, castle Drogo will be on my list! <br /><br />Have a lovely weekend!<br /><br />Madelief xMadeliefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05906326152435858221noreply@blogger.com