Peapix

  • Bing Gallery
  • Extension
Peapix
Bing Gallery
Extension
  • United States
    All
    Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil

Bing Gallery

Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil
  1. Bing Gallery
  2. United States
  3. 2020
  4. October 26
  5. Corfe Castle, Dorset, England
arrow_back_ios arrow_forward_ios Corfe Castle, Dorset, England

October 26, 2020

Corfe Castle, Dorset, England

© Ross Hoddinott/Minden Picture

Corfe gets creepy

Spying the crooked silhouette of Corfe Castle above the rolling, foggy hills of Dorset, England, you might not guess at the ruin's former palatial beauty—you'll more likely sense its long history of intrigue, and maybe feel a chill down your spine.

Corfe's tale begins with a betrayal. Rumor has it this mound is where the teenage King Edward the Martyr was assassinated, likely by his half-brother and successor Æthelred the Unready, in 978—a century before the original stone structure was built. The castle became a favorite of 13th-century ruler King John—whose luxurious renovations hid a feared dungeon where the calculating monarch starved numerous prisoners. In the mid-1600s English Civil War, noblewoman Mary Bankes—wife of the castle's new lord, who was off fighting in the war—doggedly defended it against antiroyalist forces in a three-year siege. But Mary was given up by members of her entourage and captured, and the castle was toppled into the craggy heap you see now—another betrayal to end its story.

Nowadays the remains of Corfe Castle are preserved as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by the UK—but that status might not be all that's protecting the site. Reports of children's sobs echoing through the air, unexplained flickering lights, and—most notoriously—the headless apparition of a white-clad woman have some believing specters of a millennium past still haunt the ruin.

sky outdoor fog landscape cloud sunrise sunset water nature clouds mist

Related Images

Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern IrelandDunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
The Milky Way framed by Double Arch in Arches National Park, UtahThe Milky Way framed by Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah
Grove of redwoods in Redwood National and State Parks, CaliforniaGrove of redwoods in Redwood National and State Parks, California
Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, AlaskaSpire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska
Joshua trees under the Milky Way, CaliforniaJoshua trees under the Milky Way, California
Zion National Park, UtahZion National Park, Utah
Hot air balloons over Göreme Historical National Park in Cappadocia, TürkiyeHot air balloons over Göreme Historical National Park in Cappadocia, Türkiye
Kachina Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, UtahKachina Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

Today on Bing

Gespensterwald, Nienhagen, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany

Gespensterwald, Nienhagen, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany

Oct 26, 2024
Autumn foliage in Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria

Autumn foliage in Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria

Oct 26, 2023
Brocken spectre in Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria

Brocken spectre in Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria

Oct 26, 2022
Red fox in the Black Forest of Germany

Red fox in the Black Forest of Germany

Oct 26, 2021
Klaus Littmann's 'FOR FOREST: The Unending Attraction of Nature' in Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria

Klaus Littmann's 'FOR FOREST: The Unending Attraction of Nature' in Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria

Oct 26, 2019

Related Tags

landscape sky outdoor cloud nature tree mountain rock hillside grass water plant valley canyon overlooking building hill beach stone cave
Share photo
Share
Pin
Tweet
Line
  • © 2025 Peapix.com
  • API
  • App
  • Privacy
The images are provided for wallpaper use only.