The Square | Corfe Castle | Dorset | BH20 5EZ | www.corfecastlemodelvillage.co.uk
Opened in 1966 to the public, the Model Village depicts the Castle and village as it was in 1646. You can compare the real castle with the Model castle from our garden, this gives a fantastic idea of how it used to look when it was home to Lady Banks.
Built to 1/20th scale, the Model village was the brainwave of Mr Eddie Holland, a local businessman,(at the height of fashion for model villages). Mr Holland first had the idea in the 1950s’ and he wanted the model to be situated close to the real Castle. When the property Drury’s (Doctor Dru Drury’s home and practise), in the Square of Corfe Castle, came on the market, he felt it was ideal for his plan. It took two years to build. The Castle was built in situe on a manmade mound.
Many of the houses were built in the Potting Shed, by Jack Phillips, the builder, from Parkstone, assigned with the task of recreating the intricate detail of each house. Jack continued to maintain the Model Village for years to follow. Most of the houses have Purbeck stone roofs, each one with minute tiles that have been hand crafted. The top of the King’s tower on our castle stands at twenty feet above the level of the moat.