Shortly after invading England in 1066, William the Conqueror began consolidating power. Building castles was a primary means of asserting dominance and over the proceeding 150 years William and his Norman descendants would raise more than 1,000 structures. Corfe Castle, which commands the Purbeck Hills in Dorset on the country’s south coast, was among the first.
It’s mentioned in William’s encyclopedic survey of his new holdings, Domesday Book, but unlike its timber and earth contemporaries, Corfe was built from white limestone, signaling strength and status, a point reflected in the religious symbols carved into its surface. In time, it would become a quintessential picture of a medieval fortress.
Close up of appearance door accessible from the Kings View platform at Corfe Castle. Photo: National Trust / Richard Gregory.
William’s son King Henry I developed the castle further. He erected a 70-foot keep atop the chalky hill and turned it into a luxurious royal residence complete with an ensuite bathroom (known as a garderobe) and an appearance door through which monarchs could present themselves to their subjects (think Buckingham Palace’s balcony).
Now, visitors to Corfe Castle can enjoy the same views of the surrounding countryside as bygone kings, courtesy of a temporary viewing platform that has been set up inside the keep as part of a three-year conservation effort.
A view from the King’s View at Corfe Castle. Photo: courtesy National Trust. Richard Gregory.
It’s the first time in nearly 400 years that the castle’s interior has been made accessible since it was partly destroyed by parliamentarian forces in the 17th-century during the English Civil War. The temporary viewing platform is a ticketed extra at Corfe Castle designed to contribute to funding the protection of the Grade 1-listed site.
In 2020, National Trust, which owns and operates the landmark, noticed some of the castle’s stones were loosening. A follow up investigation revealed considerable work was needed to protect the site for future generations and a £2 million ($2.5 million) conservation project was launched in 2023.
“We have seen an acceleration of deterioration to the castle in recent years due to climate change,” Eoin McDowell, Corfe Castle’s experience and visitor manager said via email. “Very mixed weather has dried and weakened the fabric of the castle and heavy downpours of rain have caused further destruction.”
An engraving of Corfe Castle before it was ordered to the ruined by Parliament. Photo: courtesy National Trust.
The goal, McDowell says, prevent the castle from further deterioration without disturbing the historical fabric of the structure itself. To do so, the National Trust will employ specialist masons who with apply similar techniques and materials to those who built the castle more than 900 years ago.
Following the attention of Henry I, the castle remained a favorite of England’s Norman kings with John I spending more than £1,400 (the equivalent of $3.8 million today) upgrading it to the latest architectural fashions, including building a pavilion in the garden, known as a gloriette. By the beginning of the 14th-century, the castle had been further fortified by two additional towers, gatehouses, and curtain walls. In time, Corfe Castle’s importance waned and Queen Elizabeth I sold it in 1572. Still, it remained a symbol of royalist power, making it a target of parliamentarians who successful took the castle in 1642.