The Three Counties NT Association Lulworth Castle and Poole Museum Tuesday 13th November 2019

We arrived at Lulworth Castle dead on time at 10.30 to be greeted by one of the staff who gave us armbands and leaflets and directed us to the Courtyard Cafe for coffee/tea and a very large cake. The smooth efficiency and pleasantness with which this was served made an excellent start to our visit.

The castle, on a low hill, with its completely symmetrical round stone towers at each corner, is every child’s idea of what a romantic fortress ought to look like. But it was made for pleasure rather than warfare, being built to host hunting parties for King James I. The castle became the family seat of the Weld family after the Civil War and the estate still belongs to their descendents. A fire in 1929 gutted the building and it remained a ruin until the 1990s when the outside was stabilised and restored with the help of English Heritage.

The castle may be a shell, but there is much to see inside and the main room steward was full of most interesting information about this unique place and its history as well as that of the Weld family. We were very fortunate that there were few other people visiting, as he could spend much time answering our questions and we could wander round the castle (and some of us climb to the roof - cold but spectacular views, with a lovely glimpse of the sea) and look at the various exhibits at our leisure.

We arrived at the east end of Poole Quay at around 1.20: the Quay itself is inaccessible for coaches. The Museum at the end of the High Street was easy to find, and some people went there immediately (the small Museum cafe was well patronised) others finding good places to eat nearby. The weather, by now wet and windy did not encourage lingering! There was plenty to see in the Museum as well as the temporary watercolour exhibition, the main reason for our visit. The latter consisted of 50-60 paintings collected by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert reflecting their life together. They had originally been bound into albums (by the royal couple themselves apparently) and only in recent years framed to be exhibited. The paintings themselves were outstanding in brightness and clarity, bringing the 1840s and 1850s to light with great freshness: well worth seeing.

We proceeded to the adjoining Scaplen’s Court for tea at 3.45. The 13th Century building was at one stage an Inn but then was divided into tenements which had become derelict by the early 19th century. The Court was saved from demolition by local people and today is an education centre run (like the Museum) by the local authority. Our tea was served in the Great Hall. As well as scones with cream and jam there were plentiful and varied sandwiches and unlimited supplies of tea and coffee, all served in an extremely pleasant and efficient manner. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

The coach left Poole Quay at 5.15. We were initially caught up in the evening rush but progress was rapid once we reached the A31 near Wimborne and we arrived safely home in the early evening after a long but thoroughly enjoyable day.