Facts you might not know about some of Dorset landmarks

Each location is embedded with a vast amount of history to delve into, so here’s some facts you might not know about some of the county’s most iconic sites.

Durdle Door

The world renowned rocks that make up the Durdle Door arch are thought to be approximately 140 million years old and earlier in life were caves that have been eroded to form arches.

Ordnance Survey featured the site in its inaugural edition of their map however spelt it Dirdale Door with other early 19th Century maps spelling it as Duddledoor, Durdle and Dudde Door.

Read more: IN PICTURES: The sharks found lurking in Dorset's waters

Corfe Castle

William the Conqueror had Corfe Castle built during the 11th century for defensive purposes making it one of the first stone castles built in England.

Corfe was then a royal castle during Medieval times as King John kept his crown jewels there before being largely demolished during the Civil War (1642–1651) under Parliament’s orders.

Old Harry Rocks

The chalk formations known as Old Harry Rocks on the Isle of Purbeck mark the most eastern point of the Jurassic Coast are thought to be 65 million years old.

Legend says that the rocks get their name from a euphemism for the devil who allegedly slept on them. During World War Two, Spitfire and Hurricane used the stacks for target practice with scuba divers still occasionally finding shell cases even today.

Read more: 10 signs you've lived in Dorset a long time

Highcliffe Castle

Highcliffe Castle was built between 1831-1836 and is the realisation of a fantasy of Lord Stuart de Rothesay following in the footsteps of his grandfather who built an earlier 1770s mansion.

During the early 20th Century between 1916-1922, the owner of Selfridges, Mr Gordon Selfridge, rented the castle to live with his family.

The family loved it so much they wanted to buy it but the owners, the Stuart-Wortley’s at the time, would not sell it. Gordon, his mum and his wife are all buried in the nearby St. Marks Church.

Christchurch Priory

Picture by Stephen Bath

Christchurch town centre is overlooked by the 11th century priory which was given to town as a parish church by Henry VIII after he disbanded the Catholic monasteries in the 16th century.

The priory is the longest parish church in England with a nave, the part with the majority of the congregation fits, over 311 feet (95 m) in length.

Read more: Five AMAZING facts you may not know about Bournemouth's past

Badbury Rings

East Dorset’s Badbury Rings is an Iron Age hill fort with its inner ring dating back 500-600 BC, although there is also evidence of the Bronze Age and Roman occupation.

Numerous tribes settled at the site including the Durotriges who were the first real opposition to the Roman invasion of Britain.

Once conquered the Romans reportedly established a town called Vindocladia just outside which is said to have become one of the biggest in the county.

Portland Bill

Picture by Joy Aubin 

Portland’s iconic lighthouse was built in 1906 to warn off ships standing at 134.5 feet (41 m) in the air with 163 steps; it became fully automated in 1996.

Since 1961 the lower part of the lighthouse has been home to the Portland Bird Observatory which remains in place today.

Read more: 10 things you've done if you're from Bournemouth

Blue Pool

Picture by Helen Gallimore

Dorset’s idyllic blue pool in Wareham started life as a chalk pit in the 17th century, with Purbeck clay being dug from the mid 17th-20th century.

It is the clay that gives it the distinctive blue colour caused by light diffracting from minuscule particles down in its depths.

Are there any other historical stories and facts from places across Dorset that you think deserve a mention? then please let us know below.