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.
2008: 21 Mar-Jun: 10:00-17:00 Mon-Sun; Jul-Aug: 10:00-18:00 Mon-Sun; Sept: 10:00-17:00 Mon-Sun; Oct: 10:00-16:00 Mon-Sun; Nov-Mar: 10:00-16:00 Sat-Sun. Last entry 30mins before close. Closed 24-26 Dec & 1 Jan.
Tel: 01747 870487 Old Wardour Castle Website
