Rufus Castle

Rufus Castle stands on a narrow rock ledge above Church Ope Cove on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Built largely in the late 15th century, it is the island’s oldest surviving defensive structure. The pentagonal tower has thick walls with medieval gun ports and rests on an earlier 12th-century foundation. A 19th-century round-arched bridge crosses the lane below, linking the castle to the remains of St Andrews church. The site overlooks the Shambles, a dangerous sandbank three miles out to sea. The castle’s name may refer to King William II or Gilbert de Clare, the Red Earl, and it has long been known as Bow and Arrow Castle. In 1653 the Battle of Portland was fought beyond the Shambles between Robert Blake’s English fleet and Maarten Tromp’s Dutch navy. The poet William Wordsworth commemorated his brother John, who died when the East Indianman Earl of Abergavenny sank there in 1805. English Heritage restored the castle in 2010–12 after it was placed on the Heritage at Risk Register. Visitors can view the castle from public footpaths along the coast. The ruins include sections of the keep, walls with gun ports and the restored bridge. The site is privately owned and has no public access. A virtual 3-D tour, launched in 2022 with help from the Art Fund, offers a detailed look at the structure. The castle has also inspired artists, appearing in paintings by J. M. W. Turner and novels by Thomas Hardy and Victor Hugo.