Wardour Castle
WARDOUR CASTLE
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1146004
- Date first listed:
- 25-Oct-1951
- List Entry Name:
- Wardour Castle
- Statutory Address:
- WARDOUR CASTLE
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2002-08-19
- Reference:
- IOE01/08264/10
- Rights:
- © Mrs Margaret U. Kingsland. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1146004
- Date first listed:
- 25-Oct-1951
- List Entry Name:
- Wardour Castle
- Statutory Address 1:
- WARDOUR CASTLE
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- WARDOUR CASTLE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Tisbury
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 92791 26926
Details
TISBURY WARDOUR PARK ST 92 NW (north side)
4/271 Wardour Castle 25.10.51 GV I
Country house, now Cranborne Chase School. 1770-76 by James Paine for Eighth Lord Arundell. Limestone ashlar, hipped Welsh slate roofs, ashlar stacks. Square main block with flanking pavilions. North front has rusticated basement below piano nobile with mezzanine and attic floor over, 9 bays, centre three break forward. Central double half-glazed doors with four 6-pane sashes either side to chamfered rusticated basement, stepped bands to piano nobile with central Palladian window of Ionic order with balustraded apron, four 12-pane sashes either side with pediments or dentilled cornices. Mezzanine floor has small 6-pane sashes, attic has 6-pane sashes in moulded architraves, dentilled and modillioned cornice and pediment. Concave front link to pavilions; 5 round-arched openings to double doors and sashes with niches to sides of basement, first floor has large sashes, cornice to blocking course with ball finials. Front of pavilions have 6-pane sashes to basements, Venetian window and flanking sashes to piano nobile, pediment and blocking course concealing attic with 3-pane and 6-pane sashes and Chapel (q.v.) east end with three leaded lunettes. East pavilion has canted east end with sashes and semi- circular panels over, attached C20 ranges of school facilities. For west pavilion see Chapel. South front has rusticated basement with eight 6-pane sashes and central double doors, piano nobile with giant Composite Order flanking round-arched central window with flanking niches, three large pedimented sashes either side, fluted frieze with paterae to upper floor with 6-pane sashes, cornice and pediment as north front. Left return has 5-bay basement, five large sashes to piano nobile, and 6-pane sashes to mezzanine and attic. Right return has basement below main floor with central Palladian window and one sash to right and two to left, 6-pane or 9-pane sashes to mezzanine and to attic. Interior: Main feature is central rotunda of main block with fine flying stairs in two curves, wrought iron balustrade to stairs and to gallery with Composite columns to coffered dome and glazed lantern, semi-circular niches in gallery walls also coffered (illustrated in Pevsner). Piano nobile occupied by state rooms and apartment in south-west corner, including the 'Boudoir', remodelled by Soane c1790; all retaining original pairs of double 8-panelled doors, some pedimented, window shutters, plaster ceiling friezes and marble fireplaces. Particularly good plaster ceilings include a saucer dome in Reading Room and gilded ceiling in Boudoir. Former kitchen in east pavilion has blocked open fireplace, now school gym. One of the finest Palladian houses in Wiltshire. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of Engand, Wiltshire, 1975; Country Life, 22 and 29 November 1930)
Listing NGR: ST9277826927
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 321061
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, (1975)
Country Life in 22 November, (1930)
Country Life in 29 November, (1930)
Other
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, Part 46 Wiltshire,
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 04-Jun-2026 at 06:02:32.
Download a full scale map (PDF)© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2026. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
End of official list entry