A MAJOR project, 'the largest of its kind' ever undertaken by the National Trust is in full swing to save Castle Drogo from certain ruin.

The castle has suffered major structural problems ever since completion in 1931, which has resulted in serious leaks and water penetration throughout the building. If extensive conservation work was not carried out, the castle would eventually have become inaccessible and the 'last castle built in England' would have been lost forever.

The total cost of the building project is £11-million over five years. Funding for the project is being sourced from a £1.5-million fundraising appeal, a £2.5-million Heritage Lottery Grant awarded in July 2012, £400,000 from other grant sources and the remainder from general National Trust funds.

The property is to remain open to visitors throughout the work, though the ongoing building work will have a dramatic influence on what visitors will see when they visit Castle Drogo.

Contents and furniture have been relocated elsewhere in the castle and rooms will be presented in new ways.

Other rooms, including a staff flat and the roof formerly unseen by the public will be opened up to show work in action.

The first visitors of the season went through the castle's grand doors last Saturday.

Drogo is the last castle to have been built in Britain, between 1911 and 1931 for Julius Drewe, a food retailing magnate.

His dream was to have an imposing granite fortress that would appear to have existed for hundreds of years.

Designed by the renowned architect Edwin Lutyens, the interior offered the ultimate in modern living and convenience.

The work being done at Castle Drogo is on a massive scale. More than 64 kilometres of mortar joints need repointing, and all 917 windows of the property, made up of around 14,000 individual panes, need to be removed and repaired before being put back in place.

This includes the single biggest window in any National Trust property.

Tim Cambourne, senior project manager for the National Trust, said: 'In terms of scale, I can't think of a bigger project than this, it is the largest of its kind.

'While the restoration at Tyntesfield near Bristol was on a massive scale, that consisted of several different buildings and smaller outbuildings.

'In terms of a single building mansion restoration, this is the biggest I've ever worked on.

'We are taking the opportunity to tell the story of Drogo, where it came from, the Drewe family, the architect Lutyens, and using installations and a number of displays to do that.

'This is a hugely exciting time for everyone involved in helping to save Castle Drogo. 

'Visitors will get an opportunity to share with us the trials and tribulations over the next five years.

'Saving Castle Drogo will be no small task but particular thanks must be extended to all the members of the public who help us every step of the way from giving donations to our public appeal to joining our vital team of volunteers, without our volunteers, opening Castle Drogo during this time would not be possible.  

'Particular thanks must go to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) who awarded us a £2.5- million grant in July 2012 and the National Trust is also grateful to the support of European Union funding through the INTERREG IVB NWE programme.'

Visitors will have the opportunity to learn all about the castle's history via a series of theatrical installations created by Codsteaks, a company of designers best known for their scenery for films with Aardman Animations, including Wallace and Gromit shorts and the 2012 hit film 'The Pirates! In an adventure with Scientists!'

The installations, based on the Drewe family history, letters, postcards and plans from the archive will show how and why Castle Drogo was originally built, and visitors will learn how Mr Drewe made enough money to build his very own family castle.

Caroline Danks, National Trust fundraising manager, said: 'Thanks to a huge support and interest in our project to save Castle Drogo we achieved our £4-million fundraising target late last year.

'A public appeal to raise £400,000 was also launched and to date this has achieved a total of £421,000, most of whom were members of the National Trust in the south west. 

'However, we are still continuing to fundraise as our ability to fully deliver the project is dependent on continuing income sources including Trust membership and continued interest from our visitors and legacy income.'

The castle is open to visitors now until November 3. For more information visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo">www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo or call 01647 433306.