County guide · The Castle Rolls
Best castles in Dorset
6 castles in Dorset, led by Corfe Castle's dramatic ruin - deliberately blown up by Parliamentary forces after a Civil War siege.
Map
Every castle on this list - 6 in total, 2 free to enter
Corfe Castle
Dorset
Royal castle slighted 1646
Portland Castle
Dorset
Lulworth Castle
Dorset
Restored shell; managed by the Lulworth Estate; also listed under Lulworth Estate (Weld family)
Sherborne Castle
Dorset
16thC 'new' castle; old castle is EH
Christchurch Castle and Norman House
Dorset Free entry
Sherborne Old Castle
Dorset Free entry
Free entry; seasonal opening hours
Common questions
How many castles are there in Dorset?
This roll lists 6 visitable castles, fortresses and tower houses in Dorset. Of those, 2 are free to enter and 4 charge admission.
Which castles in Dorset are free to visit?
2 of the 6 castles in Dorset are open-access sites with no admission charge, namely Christchurch Castle and Norman House and Sherborne Old Castle.
What is the best-rated castle in Dorset?
Corfe Castle carries the strongest public rating of any castle in Dorset on this roll - 4.7/5 from 11,580 Google reviews.
Can you reach any castle in Dorset by train?
4 of the 6 sit within 1.5 miles of a railway station, namely Corfe Castle (Corfe Castle, 0.2 miles), Christchurch Castle and Norman House (Christchurch, 0.6 miles), Sherborne Castle (Sherborne, 0.6 miles) and Sherborne Old Castle (Sherborne, 0.6 miles). Those are straight-line distances from the station to the castle, so the walk on the ground is longer than the figure.