WITH work to save Castle Drogo in full swing, visitors with a head for heights now have the chance to see spectacular views of the Teign Valley from above the castle's roof.

Those brave enough can climb a 20-metre high viewing platform set above the roof, to take in the breathtaking views of the valley and Dartmoor, with the platform also offering a bird's-eye-view of the painstaking conservation work going on at the castle.

The castle is now fully open every day. Drogo was designed by Edwin Luytens, one of the greatest architects of the twentieth century, as an ancestral family home with all the latest mod-cons for Julius Drewe, a grocery millionaire who retired at just 33.

Much of the castle is currently shrouded in a huge white scaffolding box, with a total of 24,700 poles and sections, 544 tonnes of scaffold, the equivalent of 63.4 miles of tubes, boards and plastic.

Ever since Castle Drogo was built 100 years ago, it has let in the Dartmoor rain.

With water pouring in from the roof, walls and windows, the situation became critical by 2012. There was a serious chance the building could have been lost forever.

Following a massive appeal, work has begun in earnest, and top of the list is the huge flat roof — an area roughly equivalent to two national football pitches. With the planned waterproof system comes the removal and reinstating of 2,355 granite blocks on the roof, weighing a total of 680 tonnes.

Roof gullies also need to be redesigned to cope with the heavy rainfall, the walls need re-pointing and making watertight and some 913 windows need to be removed and rebuilt including new leading

Paula Clarke, community engagement officer at Castle Drogo, said: 'People love Castle Drogo – it gets under your skin.

'And this is the moment to see its future unfold before you, literally from top to bottom.

'Every visit will be different, and it's a rare piece of living, breathing history.'

The challenge of having to store the castle's collection safely in only one section of the castle has provided an opportunity to show the collection in different ways.

Conservation work usually done behind the scenes is now carried out in front of visitors.

A trail of reproduced letters and memos winds its way through the castle, tracing the creation of Drogo in the words of the people who made the dream a reality — from the Drewe family to the architect Edwin Lutyens.

Visitors can also discover how the outbreak of the First World War affected the building of the castle, through its impact on the workmen, the Drewe family and Lutyens.

Throughout the year, the Get Changed Theatre Company will be collaborating with Drogo to create a series of 'immersive' theatre experiences for audiences as they journey, on foot, around the castle during the National Trust high season 2014.

Using both indoor and outdoor spaces, tableaux and scenes will be created to illustrate life at the castle.

Tim Cambourne, National Trust project manager for Castle Drogo, said: 'The story of the people who created the castle has been our inspiration and the fabric of the building is taking centre stage.

'Some 8,000 letters written during the construction by J C Walker, the tenacious clerk of works, gives a window into the past —revealing conversations, debates and dilemmas as the castle was being built.'

Find out more about the work in progress at Castle Drogo and events this spring and summer at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo">www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo