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This
quaint and quirky village in the Isle of
Purbeck is dominated by the evocative ruins of
a huge medieval castle which is one of
Dorset’s major tourist attractions. Originally
made of wood, it witnessed the murder of the
teenaged Saxon King Edward the Martyr in 978AD
by his stepmother, Queen Aelfthryth. It was
rebuilt in Purbeck stone in the 11th
century and improved by both King John and
Henry III but, during the Civil War, it was
blown up by Cromwell’s roundheads. A model
village has been created using the same local
stone to show how the castle looked in its
heyday. Writer Enid Blyton turned the castle
into a fictional fortress in her 1942
children’s book ‘Five on Treasure Island’
(1942). The village itself is separated from
the castle by a large moat. |
Corfe Castle - Photo:
Richard Johns
CCL |
