Old Wardour Castle

[Clevercat]

Wow. That does not even sum it up. Beautiful, over whelming, amazing........ Old Wardour Castle near Shaftsbury.....  When I get my photos downloaded I will share them with you.

This afternoon was the second time we had been here, but I appreciated it more today for sure.  Was it the sun? Was it the children playing happily in the ruins? Or in the bushes playing with fallen branches making a den.... or the stunning back drop of the castle ruin against the skies, or was it the Meatloaf impersonater who was singing for the wedding party which had taken over the castle..... It was a perfect scenario all round.

Just got back from my mates house after we joined them for a BBQ..... good time had, kids loved it, paddling pool, making their own fairy garden out of all the rose petals and just having fun.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server.php?show=conProperty.294

[Clevercat]

The castle was built in 1393 by John, 5th Lord Lovel, a veteran of the Hundred Years War.   
On returning from fighting in France he was given a licence to crenellate his home.   He built his castle on a new site but the situation was secluded rather than strategic, more suited to peaceful retirement. 

The outer curtain wall was hexagonal with a gatehouse to the north.  The bailey and castle were also hexagonal. The castle had two flanking towers and the buildings around the inner courtyard reflected the outer symmetry. 

His family remained in the castle for only 60 years until, on the accession of Edward IV, as Lancastrians they forfeited their property. 

The castle passed through a succession of owners and in 1570 it was bought by Sir Matthew Arudell.   He began a major reconstruction and employed the architect Robert Smythson who previously worked on Longleat.  The narrow medieval windows were replaced with large Gothic ones.  The portcullis was removed and columns were built around the entrance.   The end result was a combination of the Renaissance imposed a Gothic tradition.   

The Arundell family were Royalists and in 1643 the Parliamentarian leader Sir Thomas Hungerford besieged the castle.  The Roundheads took the castle but six months later  Sir Matthew's son besieged the castle determined to recover his family property.  The Parliamentarians finally surrendered but only after severe damage to the south-west of the castle.  At the end of the Civil War Parliamentary action caused the rest of the damage to the castle. 

The castle was never repaired and the Arundells built a smaller house on the south side of the outer wall. 

A scheme to reconstruct the castle was rejected in 1756 and the then Lord Arundell built a new house of huge proportions to the north-west which is now known as Wardour Castle.  Old Wardour became a romantic relic in the grounds of the new house, and was used to film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

[Old Codger]

It really does look nice, I flew over it a couple of weeks ago, my son was doing a flying lesson from Compton Abbos, we also few over a maize field not too far from the castle and it had been done in the design of a snakes and ladders board

[myangel]

i keep meaning to go to wardour castle...my mum n step dad says its lovely there...


and compton abbas...i go there now and again and love watchinbg the planes come in and go out while having a leisurly drink and meal..... always wanted to go up in one of those light planes...i bet the views are amazing