Red Rose Ruins

Red Rose Ruins

Red Rose Ruins

Corfe Castle was a royal stronghold for over 600 years, but from the 14th to the 16th centuries, it declined in importance and fell into disrepair. In 1572, Queen Elizabeth the First sold it to her Lord Chancellor, Sir Christopher Hatton, who converted it into a prestigious home, complete with fine furniture, tapestries and silk cushions. In 1635 Corfe Castle was bought by Sir John Bankes.

Following the death of her husband during the English Civil War, Lady Mary Bankes successfully defended the castle for the crown during a siege in 1643. During a second siege in 1646, an act of betrayal by a member of her garrison led to the capture of the castle by Cromwell’s troops, who deliberately demolished the castle resulting in the dramatic ruin you see today. Much of the missing stone can be found in the houses of Corfe Castle Village.

Corfe Castle is part of the huge Kingston Lacy estate left to the National Trust in 1981 by Ralph Bankes, a direct descendant of Sir John Bankes. Today the Trust has its work cut out protecting and strengthening what remains of the Castle. Archaeological excavations are being used to reveal more of the castle’s past. The castle grounds are occasionally used to stage reconstructions of mediaeval battles.

Date: 28th September 2008

Click here for another shot of Corfe and more history!

Red Rose Ruins belongs to the following groups:

Castle Magic, Landscape Photography, Treasured UK Structures, United Kingdom and Wessex UK - ancient and modern