Corfe Castle hotels and self catering cottage accommodation in Corfe Castle

Dorset » Corfe Castle accommodation

Offering views of the Isle of Purbeck, Corfe Castle is at once a parish, a village and the remains of a castle, located between Swanage and Wareham in the Purbeck hills, dominating the village. Burial sites indicate the place has been inhabited since 6000 BC. The Celtic Durotriges may have lived here, and a stronghold from before Norman times could once be found here.

The local parish church is dedicated to King Edward the Martyr. In the 10th century, his stepmother, Queen Elfrida, had him assassinated so her son could be king, and his body was allegedly taken to a blind woman's house which stood right at the site where the church was built in the 13th century. In the mid-19th century, however, it had to be almost entirely rebuilt.

It is of course the imposing Norman castle that the village is famed for and it is hard to escape its mighty shadow. King John, while preparing for his French campaign, once hid 50,000 marks in the local castle, as it was known to be quite unconquerable, and was used as a treasure cove, fortress and prison. The castle was twice sold in the 16th and 17th century, ending up in the hands of the Bankes family, and at one point had to be defended from besiegers by Lady Mary, who therefore become Brave Dame Mary. After being finally destroyed by Parliamentarians, the family decided not to rebuild it, and recently left the land to the National Trust.

It’s now possible to visit the castle, after much money was spent in restoring it. An 'appearance door' for Henry I was found, leading to believe this may have been one of the country’s most important castles.

Corfe Model Village features an exhibit on what the castle probably looked like, 1/20 scale, in the mid-17th century.