Old Wardour Castle
Also known as, or recorded in historical
documents as; Werdour
In the civil parish of Tisbury.
In the historic county of Wiltshire (Modern Authority of Wiltshire, 1974 county of Wiltshire).
Old Wardour Castle was built under licence granted in 1393 for the fifth Lord Lovel and is argued by some to have been designed by William Wynford, one of England's finest architects. It was clearly influenced by French designs and was built more with luxury and display in mind than defence. It was remodelled between 1570 and 1678 by Robert Smythson for Sir Matthew Arundell, including renovations to many of the private rooms. The castle consists of a two-floored hexagonal keep, open in the centre, with projecting gatehouse flanked by two towers, which contained the great hall on the first floor. This was set within a curtain wall which enclosed a spacious bailey. The approach to the main keep entrance was guarded by a ditch crossed by a drawbridge, although no remains survive due to 18th century landscaping. The keep contained all of the associated function rooms of the Lord's retinue, and included a private chapel. Following two sieges in the Civil War, during the second of which in March 1644 the south-west side of the keep was largely destroyed, the castle was abandoned. A new house was built immediately to the south of the castle in 1686, which was surrounded by formal gardens using the ruin of Old Wardour as a picturesque centrepiece. In 1754, the Baron Arundel (1717-56) consulted Lancelot Brown (1716-83), who produced a plan for alterations to the estate. Richard Woods (1716-93) was later employed to improve the gardens and park which included plans for a new mansion. This became known as (New) Wardour Castle and was built between 1770 and 1776 to the north-west of Old Wardour Castle. The curtain wall of the outer bailey survives at Old Wardour together with the remains of 17th century stables, an elaborate grotto, a miniature stone circle and a summerhouse (see associated records). In 1934, the sixteenth Baron Arundell started a new planting scheme and repairs to the Castle. In 1936, Old Wardour Castle was placed in the guardianship of the Ministry of Works. (PastScape)
A Royal licence
to crenellate was
granted in 1393 Feb 27.
This site is a scheduled
monument protected by law. This is a
Grade 1 listed
building protected by law*. (Images
of England number 320803)
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST93862632
This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is
210460; 1062590
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly
Sites and Monuments Record) number is ST92NW454 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s
is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.
- Web site links
- Books
- Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p658-65
Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p101-3
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p277-8 [plan]
Furtado, Peter et al (eds), 1988, Ordnance Survey guide to castles in Britain (London) p86
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p501
Girouard, M., 1983, Robert Smythson and the Elizabethan Country House
Morley, B.M., 1981, ‘Aspects of fourteenth-century castle design' in A Detsicas (ed) Collectanea Historica: Essays in Memory of Stuart Rigold (Kent Archaeological Society) p104-13
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p272
Pevsner, N. (Revised by Cherry, Bridget), 1975, The Buildings of England: Wiltshire (London, Penguin) p548-51
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol1 p235-8 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland01mack#page/235/mode/1up
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p3-4 http://www.archive.org/stream/abbeyscastlesanc00timbrich#page/2/mode/2up
Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p331-2, 420
Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p317
- Journal Articles
- Goodall, J., 2005 April, Country Life
Girouard, M., 1991 Feb, Country Life
1991, Medieval Archaeology Vol35 p196 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
Saunders, A., 1983, ‘Old Wardour Castle’ The Archaeological Journal Vol140 p70–1
Smith, G., 1983, 'Excavation at Old Wardour Castle, 1983' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol80 p223–4
Keen and Hurst, 1967, 'Excavations at Old Wardour Castle, Wiltshire' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol62 p67-78
Chettle, G.H., 1947, 'Wardour Castle; the Old Castle' The Archaeological Journal Vol104 p167
Chettle, H.F., 1944, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol50 p452-8
Hussey, 1930, Country Life Vol68 p442-8
Perkins, T., 1894, 'Sketch of the History of Old Wardour Castle' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol15 p26-35
W.D., 1873, The Antiquary Vol4 p259-62 [history]
- Guidebooks
- Davison, Brian K., 1999, Old Waldour Castle Wilts (London: English Heritage)
Pugh, R.B. and Saunders, A.D., 1968, Old Wardour Castle, Wiltshire (HMSO)
- Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents
- This section is far from complete and the secondary
sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Calendar of Patent Rolls (1392-96) p261
Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p471
- Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
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for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
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*The listed building
may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site
of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.
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