Lulworth Castle

The castle was begun in 1608 as a hunting lodge by Thomas Howard, 3rd Viscount Blindon. Howard was a favourite of James I, and it is rumoured that he hoped to build a grand lodge modeled on a medieval castle so that he could invite that monarch to come hunting on the Isle of Purbeck.

In 1641 the estate of Lulworth was purchased by Humphrey Weld, and the Weld family has lived there ever since. During the 18th and 19th centuries the interior of the house was remodeled several times, turning it into an ornate country home.

The exteror of the castle is plain, and bereft of decorative touches, as befits a mock medieval castle. The round towers at the corners of the straightforward square building rise to four stories, providing excellent views of the surrounding countryside and coast.

Lulworth Castle was gutted by fire in 1929, but in the 1970s an ambitious rebuilding plan took place with the aid of English Heritage, allowing the exterior of the castle to be restored to the condition it enjoyed the day before the fire. The restoration project has been the recipient of an award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors for excellence in building conservation.

In the grounds of Lulworth Castle is the Catholic Church of St. Mary, built in 1786. According to Weld family legend, they were only allowed to build the church if it did not look like a church! So they built a domed neo-classical structure that looks much like the allegorical temples much in vogue during the late 18th century. Within the church are four half-domed apsidal wings and a marble altar brought from Rome.