Corfe Castle, Medieval castle ruin in Dorset, England
Corfe Castle is a medieval fortress ruin set on a 180-foot (55-meter) hill in the county of Dorset. The site consists of several wall sections, towers and a central keep, all built from pale limestone.
William the Conqueror built the fortress in the 11th century to control a strategic gap in the Purbeck Hills. During the English Civil War in the 17th century, parliamentary forces captured it and then deliberately destroyed the structure.
The name Corfe comes from the Old English ceorfan, 'a cutting', after the gap in the chalk hills where two streams eroded the rock. The German name form translates roughly as 'valley castle'. A 1:20 model village on the market square shows the castle and village as they looked before 1646.
The National Trust runs the site and offers guided tours along with a tea room in a historic cottage. The fortress sits on a hill and involves some climbing, but paths are clearly marked and mostly walkable.
Lady Mary Bankes defended the fortress twice during the English Civil War before it finally fell through betrayal. Parliamentary troops blew up the walls with gunpowder, leaving some towers standing at odd angles.
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