Corfe Castle – The Real Location Behind The Corfe Castle Murders
Corfe Castle is a real village and ruined castle in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, and the setting for The Corfe Castle Murders, the first book in my Dorset Crime series. Here's why I chose it for DCI Lesley Clarke's first case.
Why Corfe Castle?
When I sat down to write the first Dorset Crime book, I knew exactly where I wanted to start: Corfe Castle.
Not just because it's one of England's most iconic sights, although it certainly is. And not just because it's at the heart of the Isle of Purbeck, the area I know best. But because Corfe Castle has been part of my life since I was four years old.
I've clambered over those ruins (back when you were allowed to), rolled down the hill leading up to the castle with my son, and sat in the National Trust tearoom with a scone and a view that makes you forget the outside world exists.
Well, almost.
The tearoom scene
The opening scene of The Corfe Castle Murders is set in that very tearoom. DCI Lesley Clarke is there with her daughter Sharon, trying to order a beer. The woman behind the counter isn't having it: you can only have alcohol if you've ordered a knife-and-fork meal. Lesley's frustration with the rigid rules is the perfect introduction to her character. She's not someone who suffers bureaucracy gladly.
That scene came from a real experience, by the way. A friend of mine had exactly that conversation in the tearoom some years ago. I have to say, the staff are much friendlier now.
In the summer of 2021 I went back with my camera to photograph my own cream tea with the castle in the background. Unfortunately the world was just opening up again after lockdown, and my scones, jam and cream came on a paper plate with a plastic cup of tea. Not quite the image I was after. But at least I managed to get an angle that blocked out the modern world.
Lesley doesn't get to finish her cream tea, of course. She hears a scream and is plunged straight into her first case, the day before she officially starts her new job.
What happened to Corfe Castle?
When I started researching the book, I learned things about Corfe Castle that I'd never known as a child. Back then, I'd assumed the castle had simply fallen into disrepair with age. (Please don't laugh.) The truth is far more dramatic.
The castle was destroyed during the Civil War. Lady Mary Bankes held it for months against a Parliamentarian siege while her husband was away fighting for King Charles. She proved far tougher than anyone expected. When the siege finally ended and Lady Mary fled to Kingston Lacy, the Parliamentarians deliberately destroyed the castle so it could never be used as a royalist fortress again.
And then the villagers stole the stone.
They took it from the walls and ruins to build their own homes and businesses. Out of all that destruction came something beautiful: a castle and a village that complement each other perfectly. If you'd set out to design a tourist attraction, you couldn't have done better.
Where's the best view of Corfe Castle?
One of the reasons Corfe was such a stronghold is its position. It sits on a mound on the Purbeck Way, with views stretching to the coast in one direction and Poole Harbour in the other. From the ramparts, you can see for miles.
My favourite spot for that view is the top of Rollington Hill, just west of the castle on the walk to Swanage. It's a steep climb, and for much of the way all you can see ahead is a TV mast. But when you get to the top, the view is stunning.
I spent quite a bit of time up there while I was researching The Corfe Castle Murders. I was walking from Corfe to Swanage along the Purbeck Way, and about half an hour in I hit a problem: a herd of very large cows, standing exactly where I needed to go.
I could have tried to scare them off. I could have gone back. Instead, I found a side path, sat down with my packed lunch, and waited. By the time I'd finished eating, the cows had moved on. And I'd found the perfect spot for one of the key scenes in the book.
Thanks, cows.
If you do walk up Rollington Hill, don't forget to turn around when you reach the top. The view back to Corfe Castle is dramatic, especially if you're lucky enough to see steam from one of the Swanage Railway's trains chugging through the valley.
Corfe sometimes feels frozen in time. The village is built from the same Purbeck stone as the castle, the streets are narrow and winding, and everything seems to converge on West Street. (Poor Lesley gets very fed up walking back and forth to the car park.) It's that sense of a place where the past is still visible that made it the perfect setting for The Corfe Castle Murders.
The Corfe Castle Murders and the Kindle Storyteller Award
The Corfe Castle Murders won the Kindle Storyteller Award in 2021, and that changed everything. The award gave the book exposure I could never have imagined, and it introduced me to Clare Balding, who was the lead judge. Meeting her was one of the highlights of my writing career. She's a hero of mine.
Here's what Clare said about the book: "Now, having walked quite a lot in the area around Corfe Castle, by the way never Corfe, I particularly enjoyed the detail of the landscape and the humorous oddities of Dorset life. I enjoyed the richness of the characters, complexity of life for a working mother who is thrown into a new environment and has to prove herself, all over again."
It's a proper police procedural with forensics and pathology (but not too much gore, as that's not really my thing). It's set against one of England's most dramatic backdrops. And it gives a gentle nod to traditional British mysteries, with DS Dennis Frampton's swear jar and the gorgeous rural setting. Most importantly, it's where Lesley's Dorset journey begins.
If you're ever in Purbeck, do take a walk up Rollington Hill. Just watch out for the cows.
