Corfe Castle in the Isle of Purbeck
Driving the VeeDub down winding Dorset country roads brings you face to face with one of Britain's most evocative strongholds. Perched high upon its hill, Corfe Castle stands as a dramatic testament to centuries of warfare, royal intrigue, and haunting legends.
Personally I'm just a little bit obessesd with Corfe Castle and visit often, its a moody place totally transformed by light, so Ive added as many different moods as I can.
A dramatic fortress above Purbeck
Rising abruptly from the rolling hills of the Isle of Purbeck, the ruined silhouette of Corfe Castle is unforgettable. Arriving early in the camper van afforded breathtaking vantage points across the misty valley, with the shattered stone towers catching the morning light against the sprawling Dorset countryside.
The word Corfe derives from the Saxon word for gap, and Corfe guards the gap in the Purbeck Hills supberbly.
Echoes of a dark and tragic history
Behind the picturesque scenery lies a brutal past marked by betrayal and bloodshed.
Built originially by William the Conqueror in 11 th Century it has nee added to by various monarchs, and was a particular favourite of King John, I think we know what a piece of wirk he was.
Corfe Castle was the site of the cruel murder of eighteen-year-old King Edward the Martyr in 978 AD. Later, during the reign of King John, twenty-two French noble prisoners were starved to death within its thick dungeons.
Siege, betrayal, and ruined splendour
During the English Civil War, Lady Mary Bankes fiercely defended the castle throughout two major sieges before being betrayed from within. Parliament ordered the fortress to be deliberately slighted with gunpowder, creating the fractured towers and fallen walls that make Corfe such a compelling photographic subject today.
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