Highcliffe Castle, situated on the cliffs at Highcliffe, Dorset, was built between 1831 and 1835 by Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay in a Gothic Revival style on the site of High Cliff house, a Georgian Mansion designed for the 3rd Earl of Bute ( a founder of Kew Gardens) with the gardens laid out by Capability Brown. The design, by William Donthorne, a founder member of RIBA, incorporated large quantities of carved Medieval stonework salvaged from the Norman Benedictine Abbey of St Peter at Jumieges and the Grande Maison des Andelys.
The Earl's fourth son, General Sir Charles Stuart sold the estate apart from the nearby smaller Bure Homage House.
All that remains of the original High Cliff are the two entrance lodges, now used as a restaurant, also some of the garden walls and features in the lands. The son of Sir Charles Stuart, also Charles Stuart, decided to buy his grandfather's estate and build a new house there. In 1828 Sir Charles Stuart became Lord Stuart de Rothesay.
Early retirement from the diplomatic service meant Lord Stuart could now start on the project to build the new house and by 1830 he had purchased much of the eastern end of the estate.
The castle is built on an L shaped plan, oriented on a south-east axis, so the oriel window is central on the south east elevation, providing a vista across the landscaped gardens to a panorama of the needles and Isle of Wight. The house remained in the family until 1950 when much of the estate was sold and eventually developed up to the castle walls.
For a time from 1950 to 1953 the Castle was a children's home before being sold to Claretian Missionary fathers as firstly a noviciate, then for use as a seminary. The castle was put up for sale in 1966, after many years of uncertainty and neglect the castle was eventually restored.
Highcliffe Castle is a Grade I listed building now owned by Christchurch Council, and described as "the most important remaining example of the Romantic and Picturesque style of architecture." It holds events open to the general public throughout the year open, and can be used for weddings and other private events.
