Yesterday, I paid a visit to Wardour Castle on a very rainy day. The castle was built in the late 14th century for Lord Lovel in the reign of King Richard II. Wardour Castle is unique because it is a six-sided castle, and the castle combines its defenses with its guest rooms in the same building. The castle is located near Tisbury in Wiltshire and is located down narrow country lanes, and it is a ruin.
Lord Lovel was inspired by French castles, so Wardour Castle was built in a similar design. The castle had two functions as described - defense as well as a beautiful and impressive residence.
The castle came to ruins in the Civil War in 1644. It was never restored, and a new castle (stately home) was built nearby. Shortly after it became a ruin, the castle became known as a "romantic ruin" for people to visit and explore the beautiful historical castle and its gardens. "Romantic ruins" were popular attractions.
We had the free audio guide on our tour, and this helped to make the ruined castle come to life. The guide told us that the fascade of the castle had changed to meet the needs to impress visitors. Decorations were added, such as the Jesus bust above.
Seats built into the thick walls were also added later on.
The entrance hall gave way to an inner courtyard with several doors off of them and a well in the middle. The most beautiful door was the highly-decorated one with the wide staircase. This led to the Great Hall, and this is the door that visitors would use. The sculptures and carvings of this door can be seen and still impress.
The doors above led to another wing of the castle, but this no longer exists. In the grass area outside, brickwork follows the footprints of where the walls originally stood. Other doorways lead to a ground floor kitchen and storage area, including the steward areas, and some lead to staircases to other chambers that the staff probably used.
The kitchen and pantry are located off the Great Hall, which was the most impressive room where people would gather and eat and entertain.
Rooms up the staircase and clustered around the Great Hall were the chambers.
I saw some amazing views over the lake and the gardens. The new castle (which is occupied and does not offer tours) can also be seen from here.
The castle was used in "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" starring Kevin Costner.
Last but not least, we were shown the grotto. In the times when the castle was visited as a "romantic ruin", a grotto was built with hidden areas and ferns, water features, and flowers. These grottos were the rage then. The grotto is in a state of disrepair now, but I could imagine its beauty when I walked through it and explored some hidden areas.
A stone circle at Tisbury was also moved and placed in the castle grounds as these were also viewed as past history and "romantic" of this time. I did not see any trace of the stone circle, but the audio guide mentioned it.
Overall, it was a nice visit to the castle. The castle is located near Tisbury in Wiltshire in England. It can be visited daily, and it is owned by English Heritage.
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