Image: View from the Kings View platform (National Trust /Richard Gregory)
The public will set foot in the Kings’ Tower in Dorset for the first time since the English Civil War
For the first time since 1646, when Corfe Castle was destroyed in the English Civil War, the public can now access a tower that was built for King Henry I five-hundred years earlier.
Visitors to Corfe Castle in Dorset are now able to climb a special viewing platform built by the National Trust’s conservation team. Rare permission has been granted by Historic England to allow the National Trust to erect the platform, providing views not seen in centuries.
It is part of an ongoing £2m conservation project which began in 2023 to protect Corfe Castle from the impact of climate change. Specialist masons are working from ropes and on scaffolding to conserve the stonework, using similar techniques and materials to those of their predecessors nearly 1,000 years ago.
Originally built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, The Keep, (or King’s Tower), had been used to provide Henry I with personal quarters. It was destroyed by Parliamentarian troops in the Civil War.
The new viewing platform will provide the same view as that from inside the personal quarters.
It has been built to stand alone without any impact on the castle and is anticipated to be in place for a year – or until the completion of works. Ticket sales from the platform will help with fundraising for the extensive conservation project.
James Gould, Operations Manager at Corfe Castle said: “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. His exclusive penthouse-style royal living quarters at the top of the Keep really was cutting-edge for its time.
“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. I’m personally excited to witness the changing seasons high above the landscape just as the kings of old would have.”
The conservation project is already being supported with a grant of £150,000 from the Wolfson Foundation as well as a commitment from the National Trust’s own funds, but there is still a need to raise £100,000 to ensure the project can be completed.
Gould said: “We are extremely grateful to Historic England for allowing the platform to be erected to aid fundraising and secure the castle’s future. The platform is something we have never built here before and might never repeat again, so we hope as many people as possible will take the opportunity to come and visit and experience a window into the world of kings.”
