Drewsteignton

This appealing village stands on a ridge overlooking the valley of the River Teign and the celebrated beauty spot near the 400-year-old Fingle Bridge. Thatched cottages and a medieval church stand grouped around a square, very picturesque and much photographed. To the south of the village, Prestonbury Castle and Cranbrook Castle are not castles at all but Iron Age hilltop fortresses. Castle Drogo (National Trust - see panel above) on the other hand, looks every inch the medieval castle but in fact was constructed between 1911 and 1930 – the last castle to be built in England. Occupying a spectacular site on a rocky outcrop 900 feet above sea level, with commanding views over Dartmoor, it was built to a design by Lutyens for the self-made millionaire Sir Julius Drewe on land once owned by his Norman ancestor, Drogo de Teigne. Lutyens preliminary sketches envisaged a house of heroic size, but practicalities and the intervention of World War One caused the dimensions to be reduced by about two-thirds. Nevertheless, the granite castle with walls 6 feet thick is one of Lutyens’ most remarkable works. It combines the grandeur of a medieval castle with the comforts of the 20th century. Surrounding Sir Julius’s dream home is an impressive garden that displays colour and interest all year round. There’s also a croquet lawn for which you can rent mallets and balls.