Vanburgh Castle

Before your eyes is the first intentionally asymmetric house built in Europe since the Renaissance. Vanbrugh Castle rises on Maze Hill at the eastern edge of Greenwich Park, a red brick fortress that broke every architectural rule of its time. Sir John Vanbrugh designed this striking building in 1718 as his family home. He was already the celebrated architect behind Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, grand baroque masterpieces that still awe visitors.

Yet for himself, Vanbrugh chose something completely different: a medieval Gothic castle with battlements and narrow windows like arrow slits, built decades before Gothic revival became fashionable. The design may have been inspired by the Bastille in Paris. Vanbrugh spent nearly two years imprisoned there in the 1690s on spying charges, an experience that clearly left its mark. He created a three story brick keep with a circular stair tower offering sweeping views over the Thames and the Royal Naval Hospital below.

When Vanbrugh married at age 55 in 1719, he added an asymmetric wing for his young bride Henrietta Maria Yarborough. This bold lopsided addition made architectural history. After his death in 1726, the castle became home to various owners, including an engineer who built a laboratory here to develop equipment for treating spinal injuries. In 1920, it became a school for sons of RAF personnel killed in service.