Restoration of the Castle Moat: South-End

During the decades of neglect, the Castle's south-facing moat dried up and had become misshapen and overwhelmed with wild plant growth. One of Lowther's initial priorities upon purchasing the estate was to see the moat restored to its former glory. He began renovations in late 1920's which included extensive excavations to resolve structural problems. Workers excavated the foundation of the moat, deepening it and providing better definition. During this process, the south end of the moat widened considerably compared to the original design. To accommodate for the span of the widened moat, Lowther increased the length of the bridge leading to the south gatehouse, which was to become the main entrance for the castle in the 1910s and 1920s.

Unfortunately, Lowther's involvement in the moat's renovations ended abruptly with his death in 1929. His contemporaries remarked, somewhat unkindly, on the folly of his project and on how his ruined castle had ruined him.

Little work occurred between 1929 until 1932, until Lowther's successor, Sir Paul Latham, purchased the estate in 1932. He continued the moat restorations that Lowther had begun which included finally re-flooding the moat in the early 1930s.

In the course of his own restorations, though, Latham constructed an elaborate boiler room in a portion of the western moat, covered by a broad terrace and side entrance. This process essentially bisected the surrounding moat, rendering the northern back portion and a portion of the western moat dry. With the restored waterworks, the moat also formed a pond on the southeast corner of the Castle and along the east boundary of the Elizabethan Garden.

Today, the extended moat arm is fed by a string of ponds and streams situated north-east of the Castle in the surrounding wood and marshlands. All of this frames the Castle walls from the flora and fauna surrounding itself on the estate.

Overall, the moat restorations contributed to the enhanced the Castle's image as a legitimate country estate, rather than an ivy-covered ruin. Today, the moat frames the castle beautifully, reflecting its walls, ancient chestnut trees, and overarching bridges and pathways in its lily-strewn surface.