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Island Castles

MEDIEVAL FORTRESSES OF GREAT BRITAIN In the many hundreds of years since the days of Roman Britain, the island which makes up England, Wales and Scotland has become studded with thousands of castles, fortifications and towers. Even major highlights of the apparently unending wars which swept over this land would make for lengthy reading, and a solid understanding of them could consume a lifetime of study. So it is not surprising that as I was once driving along the southern coast of England, I chanced upon the dramatic ruins of Corfe Castle which was partly destroyed on the orders of Parliament in 1646. The resulting demolition is still clearly evident today, and the jagged sections of the castle's remaining walls are a popular destination for photographers, historians and tourists. These enduring ruins are also a clear reminder of just how powerful Corfe Castle was during its hundreds of years of very active service. Its relative remoteness, commanding location and extremely heavy construction combined to create a nearly impregnable position which took Parliamentarian forces three years to reduce by siege at the height of the English Civil War. Long before that however, the castle's location had been strategically important for the entire region. It was already a major state holding by 1100 when it was a depository for the English King's treasury, and by 1200 it had become an important arms depot and prison. By 1400 it appeared much as it did over two hundred years later when it acquired its final fame and destruction.

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