Looking out over the ancient woodlands of Dartmoor’s Teign Gorge is Britain’s youngest castle. Built between 1910 and 1930, Castle Drogo was acquired by the National Trust in 1974 when the house and its 600-acre estate were handed over for protection and restoration.
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Inspired by the dramatic tors of Dartmoor, Castle Drogo was designed by the renowned 20th-century architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. He was commissioned by Julius Drewe, the founder of the Home and Colonial Stores, which was once one of the UK’s largest retail chains. Drewe had bought the site believing it had once formed part of the lands of his supposed medieval ancestor, Drogo de Teigne. The ambitious project was to build an ancestral home for his family.
The project was plagued with architectural challenges, however, with its flat roofs leaking even before the construction was complete. The National Trust undertook a major conservation project at Castle Drogo to repair nearly a century of water ingress, leaks and damage to the building.
Drewe introduced hydroelectric power on site during the construction of Castle Drogo in 1927, using energy from the River Teign to power the castle. Gilbert Gilkes & Co installed two turbines, and by 1929 they were supplying the castle with electricity. Over time, the turbine house fell into disrepair – until the National Trust restored the original infrastructure.
Today, the turbine house generates electricity for the visitor centre and any excess is used to pre-heat water in the castle’s heating system.
2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Castle Drogo being opened to the public under the stewardship of the National Trust. To celebrate this milestone, there will be a series of 1970s-themed events and exhibitions running at Castle Drogo throughout 2025.
