Top 5 Castles around Sopley

If you’re hanging out in Christchurch, you’ve hit the jackpot for a "two-for-one" history fix. The Priory and the Castle Ruins are practically neighbors, separated only by a lovely little stretch of grass and some very photogenic streams. It’s the kind of place where you can spend an hour wandering through ruins and then step into one of the most massive, peaceful churches in England. This is the "rugged" part of the tour. Built in the late 11th century to keep an eye on the harbor, the castle isn't a massive fortress anymore, but what’s left is pretty evocative. The Constable’s House: This is actually the hidden star of the show. It’s a rare example of a Norman domestic house. Look for the old stone chimney—it’s one of the oldest in the country. It sits right on the edge of the Mill Stream, and it’s a great spot to watch the local ducks while imagining life in the 1100s. The Keep: You can still see the remains of the Great Tower sitting atop its "motte" (the big grassy mound). If you’re feeling energetic, you can walk up the path for a better view of the town, though the tower itself is mostly a "shell" these days. The Vibe: It’s totally free to wander through. On a sunny day, you’ll see people sitting on the grass nearby with ice creams. It’s history without the velvet ropes.

The Norman House is a rare example of Norman domestic architecture in England. Whereas most ordinary domestic buildings of this date were built of timber, the house was built of stone, reflecting the high status of its builder. The tall, circular Norman chimney is a particularly unusual survival. The ground floor was probably used for storage. An external staircase led to the main rooms on the first floor, where a small lobby divided the two principal rooms, the hall and solar chamber. The hall was open to the roof with widely splayed windows to let in as much light as possible. The elaborately decorated window at the north end of the hall marks the dais end, where the high table stood. The private solar chamber had an adjoining latrine emptying into the mill stream. The east wall of the house, nearest the river, is thicker as it served as the defensive curtain wall of the castle. All the doors and windows on this exposed side had drawbars in case of attack.

Christchurch Castle is a Norman motte and bailey castle in Christchurch, Dorset, England. The earliest stonework has been dated to 1160. The castle's site is inside the old Saxon burh dominating the River Avon's lowest crossing.The castle is believed to stand on the site of an earlier wooden fort built in 924 following the capture of the town ramparts in 901 by King Æthelwold of Wessex, and subsequently fortified with a motte by King Edward the Elder.[2] After the Norman Conquest of 1066 the castle's defences were strengthened by the addition of a ditch and bailey surrounded by a wooden palisade. The wooden fort was eventually replaced with a stone keep. The Norman castle was a strategic defensive structure controlled by the King's constable until King Henry I granted it as the caput of a feudal barony to his cousin Richard de Redvers, feudal baron of Plympton, Devon. While the Saxon defences had been against outside threats such as Viking raiders, the Norman fortress was more concerned with subduing the local populace. It was also a useful base for enforcing the New Forest Laws. The castle controlled the harbour and inland access via the Rivers Avon and Stour. The earliest masonry has been dated to c. 1160, and there is documentary evidence of the castle existing in c. 1130. Richard de Redvers is often named as the castle's first builder, although there is little documentary evidence of this, and this castle may well have been on the site of the earlier Saxon castle. The castle was rebuilt by Baldwin de Redvers to resist King Stephen during the civil war with the Empress Matilda in 1147. A great tower was built probably around 1300. The castle again saw action during the Civil War of 1642–1651. The Parliamentarians were allowed to take control of the castle in 1644. The Royalists laid siege to it for 3 days, demolishing houses on the corner of Church Street and Castle Street in order to site their cannons. The Royalists were unable to take the castle and Oliver Cromwell, fearing such a powerful stronghold, ordered it to be slighted in 1652. The castle is now in ruins; a couple of the keep walls remain and the remains of a rectangular moat.

Road bridge over River Avon. Erected in the C15 or C16; repaired and strengthened over the centuries, including widening around 1900 and the erection of footbridge.

Highcliffe Castle has been described as arguably the most important surviving house of the Romantic and Picturesque style of architecture, which flourished at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Its significance is recognised nationally by its Grade 1 status on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural and Historical Interest. The Castle was built between 1831 and 1836 and is the realisation of one man’s fantasy. That man was Lord Stuart de Rothesay. When he built it he was following in the footsteps of his grandfather the 3rd Earl of Bute, who had built an earlier mansion on the site during the 1770s. A keen botanist, Lord Bute created a scaled-down version of Kew. Perched on the edge of the cliff, on heathland with magnificent views out to sea, this house stood for only 38 years before land springs and sea erosion destabilised it. today the Castle is again a beautiful building – now for all to enjoy. Owned by the Council since 1977 and benefitting from English Heritage funding and two National Lottery grants (in the 1990s and 2010s), the Castle now hosts joyous weddings, stages a variety of productions, and hosts fairs, exhibitions and events throughout the year. It is a valued asset at the heart of the community and a popular tourist attraction. We welcomed BBC’s The Antiques Roadshow in 2012 and made an appearance more recently in Mr Selfridge on ITV.

Remains of a mound top keep and a stone building known as the Norman house.

This spot offers a sneak peek into Rhinefield House which is a beautiful hotel/hospitality venue in the New Forest

Christchurch Castle is the ruins of a castle in English Christchurch. It consists of the wall remains of the Keep, which stands in the middle of a rectangular trench system, and the remains of the so-called Constable's House. The buildings were once part of a large Norman fortress.