LAWRENCE CASTLE

Devon

Lawrence Castle, Devon

Possibly the "ultimate Belvedere folly" Lawrence Castle - also called Haldon Belvedere - stands high on a hill above the River Exe to the west of Exeter and can be seen clearly from all around the Exe Estuary area.  Correspondingly the view from the top is breathtaking - with the Exe Valley to the east and Dartmoor rising to the west.

The Castle was constructed in 1780 by Sir Robert Palk as a memorial to his friend Major-General Stringer Lawrence who had bequeathed his £50,000 fortune to the Palk children. The interior of the Castle follows the bright plaster work appearance of the exterior - most of it being a kind of architectural "Wedgewood" of blue and white.

The Castle opens to the public in the summer, but the hours are extremely erratic - it took us three visits to finally get inside, having been turned away at the gate once because a wedding was going on.  The moral - check before you visit because the road journey to reach the Castle is winding and torturous in the extreme!

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© Text copyright - Raving Loony Productions, Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
© Photos and Artwork - Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
© Web Design and Layout - Andrew J. Müller
2001

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