Venue Type & Location
Performance Spaces
Overview
Approx 2 miles E of the coastal village of West Lulworth, just N of the B3070. A Jacobean hunting-lodge, a fantasy castle with crenellations but never intended for military use. Built on a square plan with round towers at each corner.
Performance History
Probable performance venue.
Current Status
History of the Venue
1608--10 Castle built by Thomas, 3rd Viscount Howard of Bindon, as a 'fantasy castle' complete with crenellations, to be a hunting lodge.
1615 Lulworth and Bindon passed to Thomas Howard's cousin, Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk.
1640 Howard died, heavily in debt. Lulworth and Bindon purchased by Humphrey Weld
1640s Parliamentary army inhabited Lulworth and caused much damage. Bindon Abbey burned.
1651 Lulworth became the Weld family seat, and has remained so.
29-31 August 1929 Lulworth was heavily damaged by fire that burned for 3 days because the fire services were unable to obtain sufficient water; the roof collapsed and no internal floors remained intact. Abandoned as a ruin for decades.
1970 the Weld family abandoned plans to restore the castle, and built a home in the castle grounds. The Department of the Environment (now English Heritage) restored the castle roof and exterior, and consolidated the interior. It now manages the castle as a tourist attraction
Patrons who owned this venue
| Name | Date | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Howard, Theophilus | 1584-1640 | Baron Howard of Walden |
| Howard, Theophilus | 1584-1640 | Earl of Suffolk |
Bibliographic Sources
- Bettey, J. H.. Dorset. Newton Abbott: David & Charles, 1974
- Coker, John. Coker's Survey of Dorsetshire. Sherborne: Dorset Publishing, 1980
- Cullingford, Cecil N. A History of Dorset. London: Phillimore, 1980
- Douch, Robert. A Handbook of Local History: Dorset. Bristol: U of Bristol, 1962
- Hutchins, John. The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 1773. 4 vols. Westminster: J.B. Nichols & Sons, 1861--73
- Perkins, Thomas. Memorials of Old Dorset. London: Bemrose & Sons, 1907
- Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset. 5 vols. London: Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, 1952
- Speed, Peter. Dorset, a County History. Newbury: Countryside Books, 1994
- Stanier, Peter. Dorset's Archaeology. Tiverton: Dorset Publishing, 2004
- Weinstock, Maureen. Studies in Dorset History. Dorchester: Longmans, 1953
- Weinstock, Maureen. More Dorset Studies. Dorchester: Longmans, 1960