Sir Thomas Gorges, who was now governor of Hurst Castle, persuaded his wife to beg of the Queen a shipwreck he knew from the defeated Spanish Armada.

In September 1603 the royal family came on progress nearby and Roger Wilbraham described Longford as "a faire new house of stone, a triangle with three great towers at each end, wherein are his favourite chambers, & he hath the fairest garden and green walks".

[4] However, Jacob, 2nd Earl of Radnor (1749–1828), employed James Wyatt to change Longford from a reasonably modest chateau into a hexagonal palace "to the despair of future generations".

[4] The palace concept was not finished: it was Jacob, 4th Earl of Radnor (1815–1889), who oversaw the last significant changes to the castle architecture, undertaken by Anthony Salvin.

[6] The castle, art collection and gardens are open to the public on select days each year, and guided tours may be booked through the National Gallery.