West of Salisbury, in Wiltshire, Old Wardour raises by a lake the ruins of a castle unique in Britain: a hexagonal fortress, of French inspiration, transformed in Elizabethan times into an elegant Renaissance house by a family of Catholics who managed to survive disgrace.
A unique hexagonal plan
Built in the late fourteenth century, Wardour adopts a hexagonal plan centred on a court — a rare form, inspired by continental (notably French) models, and remaining unique in Britain. This castle passed to the Arundells, a great Catholic family, in 1544, when Sir Thomas Arundell bought it. But belonging to the old faith cost dear under the Tudors: Thomas Arundell was executed for treason in 1552, and the castle confiscated. It was not until 1570 that his son Sir Matthew Arundell recovered the family estate.
The Arundells' Renaissance showcase
Once the holding was reconquered, the Arundells made it a showcase of their return to favour. Around 1578, Sir Matthew Arundell modernised the hexagonal castle — the works are attributed to the great architect Robert Smythson (of Longleat and Hardwick): enlarged windows, classical portals and niches, an entrance adorned with the family's arms. An inscription of 1578 celebrates the completion of these renovations and, through them, the reconquest of the family holding after decades of disgrace — a dazzling symbol of the resilience of the recusant Catholics under Elizabeth I. The castle was ruined later, during the Civil War sieges. To see: the hexagonal court with its well, the great hall and the musicians' gallery, the classical entrance with the Arundell arms, the Renaissance chimneypieces and portals.
Did you know?
The Latin inscription of 1578 carved at Wardour is not just a date of completion: it is a cry of pride. It celebrates the return of the Arundells to the castle from which the father's execution had driven them twenty-six years earlier. To restore one's house thus became, for a surviving Catholic family, a way of proclaiming that it had held firm.
Notes
Old Wardour Castle lies near Tisbury, Wiltshire (about 24 km west of Salisbury); a ruin run by English Heritage, open to visits. Seasonal hours to check.
Quiz
- What is unique about the plan of Old Wardour?
- It is hexagonal (French inspiration)
- It is circular
- It is star-shaped
- Which family made it a Renaissance showcase?
- The Arundells (recusant Catholics)
- The Seymours
- The Percys
- To which architect are the 1578 renovations attributed?
- Robert Smythson
- Inigo Jones
- Christopher Wren