Corfe Castle, Dorset

Corfe Castle is one of the most imposing and popular of tourist attractions to be found in Dorset, situated in a village of the same name. The ruined castle is to be found situated in a gap in the Purbeck Hills, a tactical position it has occupied for over a thousand years.

Derived from the Saxon word for gap, Corfe Castle is to be found equal distance between Wareham and Swanage, each some five miles away. The gap is the only route, even today between the two towns, and also is a defensive site from sea borne attacks. There is current archaeological work being undertaken to see whether there is any evidence for a Roman fort on the site, although evidence as so far only taken the castle’s history back to the 10th century.

Corfe Castle - DrBob - CC-BY-SA-3.0

A wooden Saxon castle is likely to have stood on the site, and King Alfred the Great built a castle at Corffe’s Gate, which is supposed to be the site of the present Corfe Castle. History records that King Edward the Martyr was murdered at Corfe Castle in 979. Edward was said to have been lead to his death by his own stepmother, Elfryda, who wished her own son, Ethelred the Unready, to be king. Edward was stabbed in the back as he drank wine after a stag hunt.

It was after the Norman Conquest that a stone built castle was constructed from Purbeck marble. King William the Conqueror ordered the construction of Corfe Castle in 1090. As well as being a defensive position, the castle was also the central controlling point for the Royal Forest that surrounded the castle’s land. Despite the demise of King William I, Corfe Castle continued to be developed by his son, Henry I, who had the keep and inner bailey built and extended.

It was though later kings who made it into the defensive superstructure, whose remnants can be viewed today. Corfe Castle was one of the castles favoured by King John. John built up the defensives, using the castle as a prison and execution site. King John also made the castle into a somewhere he could stay in comfort, building a hall, chapel and royal treasure storehouse. Work continued with John’s son Henry III and grandson Edward I. It was Edward I who made the castle into an impregnable fortress, building up the ramparts and gatehouse. To highlight the importance of Corfe Castle it should be noted that during Edward’s reign the Constable at Corfe Castle was the fourth highest paid in the country.

With the passing of the medieval age the importance of Corfe Castle declined, and was rarely kept in good repair. By the time of Elizabeth I it was actually given from royal ownership into the hands of the Lord Chancellor, Sir Christopher Hatton, in 1572. Hatton is often described as a suitor to Elizabeth as well as being her dance teacher. Hatton made into a comfortable stately home.

Corfe Castle and Corfe Village - Jim Champion - CC-BY-SA-3.0

By 1636 the castle was sold to Sir John Bankes, who was Charles I’s Attorney General and Lord Chief Justice. It was though only to be used as a holiday home rather than a main residence, during the civil war though it was a focus for Royalist resistance in Dorset. The death of Sir John Bankes early in the Civil War though left the defence of the castle to Lady Mary Bankes. It was Brave Dame Mary who managed to see of a six week siege in 1643. Two years later though the Parliamentarians returned to lay siege.

The castle stayed firm though, despite the use of cannons against the defensive walls. A two month siege only ended in 1646 when a member of the defensive force betrayed the royalists and let the besieging forces into the castle. To ensure that the castle could never again hold out the walls were systematically destroyed by undermining the walls with explosives. The debris was used by the villagers of Corfe Castle to construct houses in the village; an impressive amount of the castle still remains though.

With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the castle could well have been rebuilt. The Bankes family though had no real desire to live in a castle and so built their new home at Kingston Lacy a number of miles away near Wimborne.

The ruins of the castle now belong to the National Trust as it was left as part of the Kingston Lacy estate as bequeathed by Ralph Bankes in 1981. As such the castle is open to the general public all year round; in fact the castle is only shut on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The castle hosts an open air theatre and living history exhibit, as well as guided tours that can last for up to 90 minutes. In addition to tourists Corfe Castle is a favourite destination for school parties who can be seen climbing all over the mound and ruins.

The castle is a great destination for everyone. At very reasonable prices it is no wonder that almost 200,000 people visit each year. Remember though that whilst it is accessible to those in wheelchairs, it may be a struggle to get around the whole castle.

Corfe Castle in the model village - Andrew Hackney - CC-BY-SA-2.0

Corfe Castle village is now one of the county’s most popular tourist destinations. Corfe Castle is more than just the ruins of the stone built castle and the village itself bears the same name, although most people will come for the castle and visit the rest. Large parts of the village have been made from recovered stone work from the castle ruins.

The village has been linked with another of the county’s popular attraction, as the Swanage Railway now runs to the village. The rebuilt line allows visitors to make the journey from and to Corfe Castle and Swanage by steam locomotive.

Tourists will also visit the historic church, although the current building, built in 1859, holds only small parts of the original 10th and 13th century buildings. The tower dates back to medieval times, although the rest of the building is in 19th century Gothic construction style. If you are looking to see how Corfe Castle looked before the English Civil War then the Corfe Castle model village shows the village and castle in 1/20th scale. The model village though is only open from Easter to the end of October.

The castle and village still play on the association held with Enid Blyton, Corfe Castle being found in numerous Famous Five books in different guises. There is a shop in the village that caters exclusively for those interested in Blyton’s work.

All in all Corfe Castle is well worth a visit for those interested in the history of England for the last thousand years. Despite being a ruin the castle of Corfe Castle is still an imposing part of the landscape and on a clear day can be seen from many miles.

Copyright - First Published 27th May 2008