Henry I’s luxurious tower at Corfe Castle reopens to visitors after 378 years

A National Trust viewing platform at Corfe Castle offers visitors a glimpse into the king's royal quarters in Dorset

A luxurious suite of rooms with a view", built for the son of William the Conquerer but partly destroyed in the English Civil War, has become accessible to visitors for the first time in almost 400 years, thanks to a new viewing platform at one of England's most dramatically situated castles.

The King's Tower was built in 1107 for William's son Henry I at Corfe castle, which sits on top of a steep hill on the Purbeck peninsula near Wareham in Dorset. Constructed from gleaming white limestone inside the imposing fortification, the 23-metre tower was Henry's personal penthouse, built to the highest standards of luxury and including an appearance door" from which he could be seen by his subjects far below.