Corfe Castle by Nop Briex

About "Corfe Castle"

by Nop Briex

About the artwork

Corfe Castle is a civil parish in the administrative area of Purbeck, in the English county of Dorset with a population of 1355.

Corfe Castle is a fortification standing over the village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in the English county of Dorset. Built by William the Conqueror, the castle dates from the 11th century and dominates a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The first phase was one of the earliest castles in England to be built at least partially with stone, while most were built with earth and timber. Corfe Castle underwent major structural changes in the 12th and 13th centuries.

English Civil War
In 1572 Corfe Castle left the control of the Crown when Elizabeth I sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton . Sir John Bankes bought the castle in 1635 and was the owner during the English Civil War . His wife, Lady Mary Bankes , led the defence of the castle when it was twice besieged by Parliamentary troops . The first siege, in 1643, was unsuccessful, but by 1645 Corfe was one of the last remaining royalist strongholds in southern England and fell to a siege that ended in an attack. In March of that year, Corfe Castle was slighted by order of Parliament. The castle, owned by the National Trust , is open to the public and received about 237,000 visitors in 2018. It is protected as a listed building and a scheduled ancient monument .