Old Wardour Grotto
Name of Building
Old Wardour Grotto
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Donhead St. Andrew, Tisbury
Date the building was designed and/or first built
Built: 14th century
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Architect: William Wynford
Culturally Specific Time Period
Medieval
Geo-Location
51°02′11″N 2°05′20″W
Materials
Stone
Architectural Type
Garden
Formal Style
Georgian
Building Description
The grotto at the Old Wardour Castle is of a unique structure. It contains natural shapes to it, with the stone seeming as if it is melting off. The grotto has various entrances, windows, and holes that uncover the inside of the structure. The grotto itself is nestled into the forest, with the front part facing a well taken care of lawn and stone steps leading to its entrance. There are to main semi-circles taken out of the front of the structure, one in the middle and the other on the left side. In these spaces, the ground is paved in stone and there are benches lining the walls. This space would have been used for social gatherings, and in that case signifying the social structure of those that would have owned a grotto. It uses movement, sight, touch and sound to create a meaningful place to gather.
Image source
Image 1: Old Wardour Castle grotto 01.JPG (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Old_Wardour_Castle_grotto_01.JPG)
Image 2: Old Wardour Castle grotto 08.JPG (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Old_Wardour_Castle_grotto_08.JPG)
Image 3: Old Wardour Castle grotto 10.JPG (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Old_Wardour_Castle_grotto_10.JPG)
Image 4: Old Wardour Castle grotto 06.JPG (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Old_Wardour_Castle_grotto_06.JPG)
Image 5: Old Wardour Castle grotto 03.JPG (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Old_Wardour_Castle_grotto_03.JPG)
Image 6: Grotto, Old Wardour Castle - geograph.org.uk - 7772444.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Grotto%2C_Old_Wardour_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7772444.jpg)
Image 7: Grotto, Old Wardour Castle - geograph.org.uk - 7865862.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Grotto%2C_Old_Wardour_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7865862.jpg)
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Image 5: Creative Commons
Image 6: Creative Commons
Image 7: Creative Commons
Student First and Last Name
Hannah Demory
Bibliographic references for the item
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardour_Castle
Citation
Architect: William Wynford, “Old Wardour Grotto,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://www.worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/208.
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