How to make the 11th Century Corfe Castle fit for the future

A £2m conservation project to protect an 11th Century castle from the effects of weather and climate change has been completed.

Work to preserve Corfe Castle in Dorset for future generations began three years ago and has been described as "a mammoth task".

The National Trust said the scheme was the largest at the Dorset landmark since the 1950s.

Conservators repaired stonework, stabilised walls and investigated a possible entrance linked to the castle's betrayal during the English Civil War.

Climate change is having a growing impact on the famous ruins, with summer droughts drying out mortar and warmer, wetter winters encouraging vegetation growth that loosens stones.

Demolition of the castle by Parliamentarian forces in 1646 left parts of its rubble-filled walls exposed to the elements.

Conservators used a technique known as soft capping, covering vulnerable areas with grass to help protect them from drought, heavy rainfall and invasive vegetation.

A fallen guard tower, embedded at a 35 degree angle over a 30m-deep valley, needed a bespoke lifting frame to carefully remove and reset stones weighing up to 90kg.

The work uncovered stonemasons' marks left by medieval builders, including tally marks thought to record a day's work, guide marks around arrow slits and axe strokes used to shape the stone.

"Conserving the castle has been a mammoth task from start to finish," said Toby Moore, associate director at Stonewest.

His team worked from high scaffolding in all weathers to conserve the castle's nine towers, the keep and the 8m-high curtain wall.

He continued: "It's been physically demanding, but incredibly rewarding to see the castle brought back into a stable state of repair, and we're proud to have played our part in its story."

Conservators also explored a possible "traitor's gate" believed to have been used by enemy troops to enter the castle when it fell in 1646.

The National Trust said further investigation would be needed to confirm whether it was the long-lost entrance.

The work also included repairs to the keep, the castle's central tower and once the heart of royal life at Corfe Castle.

To help fund the project, visitors were given rare access to the upper levels of the keep via a temporary viewing platform known as King's View.

The platform offered a glimpse of royal apartments that had been unseen by the public for more than 350 years.

Supporters also helped raise £100,000 towards the final phase of the project through the King's View platform, donations, pin badge sales and second-hand books.

James Gould, operations manager at the castle, said: "This has been a huge project. A career highlight for me and a milestone in protecting the castle for future generations."

"I'd like to thank every supporter who over the last three years has visited," he said.

"Those that braved the Kings' View, bought a pin badge, picked up a second-hand book or made a donation.

"The money raised from fundraising and contributions has gone directly towards protecting Corfe Castle, and we're enormously grateful."

The National Trust said it would now move to a near-constant cycle of conservation work at Corfe Castle, focused on maintaining the work completed and managing vegetation growth.

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