Pennsylvania Castle

Pennsylvania Castle stands on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, overlooking Church Ope Cove. Built of Portland stone, the Gothic Revival mansion began as a rectangular block before 20th-century additions added corner turrets, embattled parapets and a circular tower. The gatehouse and lodges nearby share Grade II listing but are now separate properties. John Penn, grandson of William Penn, commissioned the house in 1797–1800 from architect James Wyatt. Princess Elizabeth, King George III’s daughter, opened the mansion in 1800. The castle’s history includes a sea bath built below its gardens, later abandoned after a rent dispute. Thomas Hardy renamed it ‘Sylvania Castle’ in his 1892 novel The Well-Beloved. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill, General Eisenhower and General de Gaulle met there to plan the Normandy landings. It became a hotel in 1950, reverted to a private home in the 1990s, and was sold again in 2011. Today it serves as a holiday home and event venue for weddings and functions. Visitors find a grand residence with projecting turrets and a circular tower set against coastal views. The gatehouse and lodges stand nearby, each with their own Grade II listing. The grounds once contained a sea bath, now gone, and the house retains its Gothic Revival style. Inside, spaces accommodate private events and celebrations. The setting above Church Ope Cove offers a quiet outlook over the water.