On Armistice Day at 10.45am, a World War I commemorative stone sundial was unveiled in Drewsteignton Village Garden for a service of remembrance. It was made by the masons of stone and conservation specialist William Anelay, based in Yorkshire, as part of the company’s restoration work at Castle Drogo, Devon. The memorial is pictured (right) with the masons who made it: David Collier, Jez Greeves, Andy Gravil, Gareth Townend.

The granite used is Blacken Stone, from the same quarry as the stone being used to build the castle 100 years ago. The memorial is a reminder of the close connection between Castle Drogo and the village. Men from the village, including the masons building the castle, and the heir to the castle enlisted to fight in World War I at the same time – and many of them, including the heir to the castle, did not return. The construction work came to a halt and was not completed until 1930. The walls are said to be a memorial to the lost community of craftsmen who had been building them. Tim Cambourne, Castle Drogo Project Manager, says: “It’s for these reasons that we offered to provide this memorial, created by the craftsmen currently working on the Castle, to the parish as a gift from the National Trust and our contractors.”