"Summer 22 Holidays"
Our next stop on our summer of holidays was to our lovely friends Marion and Ed who live in Torquay in a flat with balcony that has a wonderful view over Torbay.
Our first trip out was a train ride from Paington to Dartmouth along the heritage line owned and run by the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company. We had a lovely day out with the train to Kingswear followed by the ferry over the harbour to Dartmouth; just a relaxing day with very good friends.
The following day, Marion took us to the Castle Drogo that was the last castle built in this country, designed and built by renowned 20th-century architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, started in 2011 and finally finished in 1931. The castle has recently come to the end of a major conservation project, making it watertight. Although it looks and feels like a castle it was really commissioned as a family home by Julius Drewe, the retail entrepreneur who established ‘The Home and Colonial Stores’ which made him a millionaire by the age of 33. The castle was given to the National Trust in 1974 by Drewe's grandson, although we were informed that part of the castle is kept for Drewe's ancestors in case they want to visit and stay there during their holidays.
Castle Drogo stands on a commanding position overlooking the River Teign, and Lutyens has successfully combined the themes of a comfortable home with a medieval atmosphere. Set within 600 acres of park and formal garden, Castle Drogo is very much a modern interpretation of medieval castle. There is so much to see on our walk round see map including the castle itself and the extensive grounds. What struck me about the castle was the amount of detailed furniture and systems from that era including hydro-electric power; the content of the castle is very much 20th century and built in an apparently medieval castle may not be to everyone's taste but it was certainely well worth a visit.
We had a lovely day with our friends.
The videos below were taken during our day out on the heritage train and river boat trip.
