Visitors Can See the View From Henry I’s Tower at Corfe Castle for the First Time in Nearly Four Centuries
Located in southern England, the king’s quarters haven’t been open to the public since the castle’s destruction during the English Civil War in the 1640s
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A luxurious tower built for Henry I—William the Conqueror’s son—is opening to the public for the first time in nearly four centuries.
Constructed around 1107, the royal residence is located within the walls of Corfe Castle in Dorset, England. The castle was destroyed in the 17th century, and the 75-foot-tall tower has been closed ever since.
But now, the National Trust, the conservation charity that owns the castle, has created a viewing platform for members of the public who want to see the view from the hilltop fortress.
“Henry I wanted Corfe Castle to be one of his most splendid royal palaces and fitted it out with the latest decoration and fashionable facilities,” says James Gould, the castle’s operations manager, in a statement. “His exclusive penthouse-style royal living quarters at the top of the keep really was cutting-edge for its time.”
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Perched on a 180-foot-tall hill, Henry’s tower dominates the countryside’s skyline. The limestone keep featured an ensuite known as a “garderobe” and an “appearance door” from which the king could address his subjects.
“It’s a bit like the Buckingham Palace balcony, where the royal family stand to wave to everybody,” Gould tells the Guardian’s Esther Addley. “This was the point from which the king would be able to see down across the castle, the village and his dominion.”
The National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity, protecting hundreds of historic sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Last year, the organization began an extensive conservation project to protect Corfe Castle from the effects of climate change. Ticket sales from the viewing platform will go toward raising the £100,000 needed for the castle’s conservation.
“We have seen an acceleration of deterioration to the castle in recent years due to climate change,” Eoin McDowell, the castle’s experience and visitor manager, tells Artnet’s Richard Whiddington. “Very mixed weather has dried and weakened the fabric of the castle, and heavy downpours of rain have caused further destruction.”
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Corfe Castle dates to the 11th century, and it was one of many castles constructed by William and the Normans to consolidate control over England. It’s made of white limestone, which signaled “strength and status, a point reflected in the religious symbols carved into its surface,” as Artnet writes. “In time, it would become a quintessential picture of a medieval fortress.”
Later, during the English Civil War, Corfe Castle was owned by the prominent Bankes family, which supported Charles I. The royalist stronghold faced two sieges in 1643 and 1645, and parliamentarian forces ultimately destroyed much of the structure.
“There is so much history to explore at Corfe through the eyes of kings both famous and infamous, and visitors will have a unique chance to experience it from this special vantage point,” says Gould in the statement. “I’m personally excited to witness the changing seasons high above the landscape just as the kings of old would have.”