Tower at Corfe Castle opens

For the first time since 1646 when Corfe Castle was destroyed in the English Civil War, the public will be able to access a tower that was built for King Henry I five-hundred years earlier.

Originally built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, Corfe Castle was once one of the most formidable castles in the country. The Keep, (or King’s Tower), was built around 1107 for William’s son King Henry I, from white Purbeck limestone. It stood at 23 metres tall, positioned on top of a 55 metre high hill.

Before its destruction in the Civil War, the tower had been used to provide Henry I with luxurious personal quarters and included the addition of a ‘garderobe’, an early ensuite, and an ‘appearance door’ from which the monarch and his family could appear to his subjects, much as the balcony at Buckingham Palace is used today.

Now, visitors to Corfe Castle will be able to climb a special viewing platform built by the National Trust’s conservation team and see the Purbeck countryside from this royal viewpoint as well as a chance to get up close to the ‘appearance door’.

Rare permission has been granted by Historic England to the National Trust to erect the viewing platform and provide a once-in-a-lifetime chance for visitors to experience royal history from this unique tower location.

Henry I’s appearances on his balcony enabled him to be seen by a wider audience than could be admitted to the Great Hall. His subjects could gather in the Outer Bailey and he could also be seen from outside of the castle walls.

Several kings who followed Henry I enjoyed the use of Corfe Castle, but it was King John who spent more time there than at any other castle, lavishing money on improving it to his tastes. However, his own luxurious use of the castle contrasted sharply with his cruelty to others there, using it as a convenient place to lock up, and starve to death, political prisoners.

The conservation project is already being supported with a generous grant of £150,000 from the Wolfson Foundation as well as a commitment from the National Trust’s own funds, but there is still a need to raise £100,000 to ensure the project can be completed.

Corfe Castle is in Dorset an owned by National Trust. Members of National Trust can visit Corfe Castle free.