Restoration

I have just come back from a tour of the South West of England for the National Trust. We popped into the massive conservation project at Castle Drago. It is the Trusts second largest expense at the moment. I was struck by the care and attention to the work taking place. Even on the roof where most people will never venture. The exacting standards are impressive. you really got the feeling that the Trust are investing in the future heritage of this strange building. They are not the owners, but the guardians for future generations. Castle Drogo was only finished in the 1930’s and the roof leaked from a few years in. On top of a hill facing all that Dartmoor can throw at it. It has suffered greatly and is now getting a new roof and re pointed. The team working are based in Yorkshire so stay down while doing the work. They had to reopen a mine to get the Granite required to complete the works. They have also restored refurbished and replaced all the windows in the building.

The building itself I think is not exactly pretty. Made to survive the extreme weather conditions it comes over as a bit of a bruiser. But it should certainly last a lot longer now.

The public can still visit inside the castle and view the extensive works, even go on a guided tour of the construction site. For me it high lighted the skills we have and the importance of the National Trust to invest in our Country’s heritage.