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Astley Castle
Nuneaton, Warwickshire
It is not an exaggeration to say that Astley Castle became a cause célèbre for us. This ancient moated site first came to our attention in the 1990s, when we tried, and failed, to find a workable solution for it. It grieves us to admit defeat, and in the year of our 40th anniversary, we returned to Astley, for another go at finding a way to continue a millennium of occupation. It was already too late to do more than consolidate the ruins that were left after a disastrous fire in 1978. Unusually drastic measures were called for. So we held an architectural competition, to design a ‘Landmark for the 21st century’: unequivocally modern living accommodation clasped within the shell of the ancient Castle. We aimed for the best modern architecture, unashamedly but sympathetically stitched into ancient fabric, today’s craftsmen and women linking hands with their predecessors. Witherford Watson Mann Architects designed the intervention. The bedrooms are on the ground floor, our first ever lift taking you up through the former vice to the huge living room and kitchen on the first floor. Here, new floor-to-ceiling windows look out over Astley’s former collegiate church and into beautiful internal courts formed by ruined spaces. The room also makes the most of ancient window openings for views across former pleasure grounds graced with specimen trees. This combination of the metaphysical power of ruins with intelligent modern architecture is a powerful and thought-provoking experience. Astley has history in abundance waiting for you, but it is as likely that it is this melding of ancient and modern that will linger most in the mind after your stay. Astley Castle will open in 2012 following restoration.
Sleeps: 8
Beds: 2T 2D
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Please Note
Open Days are held at Astley Castle annually. Please check the Visiting Landmarks section for details.