- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 11th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Commissioned by
- William John Bankes
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 50.6399°, -2.0589°
History
The hill guarding a gap in the Purbeck ridge was fortified as early as Anglo-Saxon times. In the early 12th century, under Henry I, a stone keep was raised here, and King John later turned the castle into a favourite residence and prison. According to chroniclers, in 1203 twenty-two knights who had supported Arthur of Brittany, captured at Mirebeau, were starved to death here. In the 17th century the castle belonged to the Bankes family, and during the Civil War Lady Mary Bankes twice defended it against Parliamentarian forces. In 1646 it fell through treachery, and Parliament ordered it blown up. The ruins have belonged to the National Trust since 1982, and in 2024 the Trust opened the keep to visitors for the first time since its destruction.
What to see
Jagged walls and leaning chunks of towers rise above the stone village of Corfe, one of the most photographed views in England. A path leads through successive gateways to the summit with the remains of the keep and royal apartments. Steam trains of the Swanage Railway stop at the foot of the hill, and the walls look out over the Purbeck heaths.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1236511
Popularity: articles about this site in 24 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).