Corfe Castle, built by William the Conqueror in 1066, defended Dorset from sea attacks. It was destroyed in 1646 and is now a popular historic site managed by the National Trust. The castle was owned by the Bankes family until 1982.
Corfe Castle is situated in a strategic crevice in the Purbeck Hills and once defended the county of Dorset, England from attack by sea. William the Conqueror began building the castle in 1066, shortly after his arrival in Britain. King John added defenses to the castle between 1199 and 1216 and it also served to house prisoners during this period. In 1646 a siege devastated the castle and the result is the ruins which remain to this day. Nature soon took over the landscape and visitors began to flock to the historic site, from Victorians to modern tourists.
Sir Christopher Hatton bought the castle from Queen Elizabeth I in 1572 and turned it into a private residence. In 1635, Sir John Bankes bought Corfe Castle and his wife, Mary Bankes, who after successfully defending the castle against an initial six-week siege in 1643, lost the structure to a second siege in 1646. The Parliamentarians who occupied most of Dorset at the time allowed the family to leave unharmed. Then they systematically destroyed the castle.
Sir Ralph Bankes, the son of Sir John Bankes, was able to save many of their belongings and the family built a new house in West Wimborne, Dorset. The castle was owned by the Bankes family until 1982. It was then handed over to the National Trust. Many of the houses in the surrounding Corfe Castle village still have the castle stone demolished as part of their construction.
King John used the castle for his royal treasury, but that wasn’t the only treasure he kept there. He also had his granddaughter Princess Eleanor imprisoned there. King John transformed Corfe Castle into a palatial royal residence and created gardens to grow his food. Today, visitors can look at the old defenses and see what have been termed “murder holes,” where defending soldiers used to throw rocks at the enemy. The walls still bear the scars of the arrows that hit the battlements.
The ruins of Corfe Castle are situated high on a chalk hill and are surrounded by a defensive moat. Visitors can admire the same sights that ancient kings and queens have gazed upon for hundreds of years. Today, the National Trust oversees the castle and is tasked with strengthening the ruins and excavating to uncover more of the castle’s secrets. The castle is open to visitors all year round, seven days a week.
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