This is the view from the 'mined' side, walking down the slope towards the Banqueting House.

The castle was originally built in 1393, by John, 5th Lord Lovel, after he was granted a "licence to crenellate".
It was designed at a time when large, baronial houses were being constructed across the country, with more emphasis on style and comfort than on defence;
and the structure was probably influenced by contemporary French practices.

As a veteran of the Hundred Years War, Lord Lovel may have been inspired by the chateaux in France;
but, at the time, his castle was unparalleled in the whole of England. Based on a hexagonal plan, Old Wardour has flanking towers to the entrance,
and a small hexagonal courtyard in the centre of the building containing a well.The Lovel's supported the Lancastrian cause in the War of the Roses:
and, as a result, had their estates confiscated when Edward of York defeated the Lancastrians and became king in 1461.

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