Since the start of the trip, I had been excited about seeing a castle. Today, I finally visited one, located in Powderham, between Kenton and Starcross but more north. It was actually more a house than a castle, lived in by the family of an Earl.

Huge trees stood on both sides of the path…
…which led us to Powderham Castle amongst the foliage.
The main house was in the middle of the courtyard inside the gate.
At one corner of the courtyard was a much smaller house, open to the public as a Tea Room and its original purpose unclear.
The foyer of the main house looked fairly simple…
…with an old lantern below the arch…
…and shiny door knobs. The dolphin was the family symbol and appeared frequently in internal decorations.

We had a guided tour inside the house but were not allowed to take pictures for fear of intruding upon the privacy of the occupants. I remember seeing colorfully decorated rooms, exotic furniture, big old books, little old cannons, many secret doors, and ghost haunted attics. We were told that the movie “The Remains of the Day” was filmed here, which triggered my curiosity about the movie itself.

The path along the side of the main house took us to the backyard.

Here one could find a sundial…
…and a stone cup of tiny plants in the middle of a rose garden.
The back door to the house was open. Vines of roses climbed over the wall. A table and chairs waited for the owners to enjoy a sunny afternoon outdoor.

Facing the backyard was a deer park.
Keep walking to the other side of the main house, I found myself on a balcony, looking at a beautiful scene like in a dream land.

Come out of the side exit…
…and down the stairs…
…here is a last glimpse of Powderham Castle.

[Photography © August 8th 2005 Les Nuages]