juillet 2009
"Long this site has already been dominated by a castle.It was a legend saying:One day in 987,Edward,who was stag-hunting in Wareham forest,decided to pay a visit to Corfe,he was greeted by the Saxon Queen-Elfrida.who offered him wine,and then stabbed him in the back as he drank in order to succeed her son-Ethelred the Unready.William the conqueror built the 'Old Hall' in 1086,and his son Henry I built the keep(1100s).King John is responsible for the Gloriette(1204) and Edward I built the Outer and South West Gatehouses,2 Round towers of Henry III's gatehouse(1250).The castle withstood seiges and battles for 600 years.It was finally taken by Paliamentarians during the Civil War(1646).Since then the weather has taken its toll and regular repairs are now needed to keep it safe for visitors."
"Corfe Castle is built from local limestone known as 'Burr'.The name is thought to be from the French word 'beurre' meaning butter,as the stone is a rich creamny colour when first quarried.It was brought from open-cast quarries on the Purbeck limestone ridge,about 2 miles south of the castle."---Quote from the National Trust brochure.
早在罗马统治时,Corfe这个自然形成的高地就已经被将领们看上。只要霸占到其中一处,就可以准备攻击远处大草原入侵的敌人。法国诺曼底王朝,许多贵族逃亡或政治嫁娶来到英国。这些法国血统也在Corfe这里建城堡。形成之后正式建筑的初体。Corfe Castle建成后,曾经被誉为全英国最坚固的城堡,前期建筑,多为混乱的局势而建,城墙高耸稳固,寝室戒备森严,基督教思想也融于石材雕刻中。政治稳定后,则改为为皇宫,除供皇族出游打猎之歇息地,也曾在此多次举行中古时期鲜见的奢华大宴。据史料记载,King John花多于£1,400在这间城堡的建设上,追求更舒服,更华丽的居所。其子,Henry III于1244年更花巨额刷白外墙,使城堡看起来更气势庞然,并聘请画家工匠进行室内装潢,大量使用的色料属Henry III最喜爱,价码也最贵的绿色。1572年,伊丽莎白女王将此地转卖给Sir Christopher Hatton,在其居住至1588年西班牙宗教入侵时期,或提防英国内乱,在四周原有城墙处加建大炮垒。1635年传授予Sir John Bankes最高法院总领审判官。于1643至1646多次与国会敌对,在一次从Weymouth及Lulworth连夜潜入的国会军团的帮助下,最终被国会夺取,并在之后一个月投票判决使用火药,埋于城堡地基,引爆炸毁。直至1981年,H.J.R. Bankes将该废墟转让给National Trust,委托管理及修复仅存的部分。也被喻为现代最浪漫画面的废墟。
入城门,原先为吊桥

城墙内侧

被炸到走样的第二城门