Wyke Castle is a residence at the top of Pirates Lane, in

Wyke Regis Wyke Regis is a village in south Dorset, England. The village is part of the south western suburbs of Weymouth, on the northern shore of Portland Harbour and the south-eastern end of Chesil Beach. Wyke is south of the county town, Dorchester ...

, near Weymouth,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was built around 1855 and has been a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

since 1974. It now forms three separate dwellings.

History

Wyke Castle was built around 1855 as a residence for Dr. Andrew Chadwick Fenoulhet, a local surgeon who came to Weymouth in 1842. In 1855, he was elected by the Weymouth Union as the medical officer for the Wyke Regis district. He had previously served as the medical attendant for the Weymouth district from 1845 and as medical officer for a newly-established district covering part of Weymouth east of the town bridge from 1853. After Fenoulhet's death in 1862, the castle remained in the ownership of his wife until her death in 1879. The castle was then sold to Mr. J. W. Davis. It was advertised as a "unique, pleasant, and very healthy Gentleman's Residence, standing in its own Grounds, with Gardens, Conservatories, &c." In 1899, the castle was under the occupation of Mr. P. Cruttwell of

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

, who used it as a holiday resort. In the 1920s, the castle was occupied by

Edmund Selous Edmund Selous (14 August 1857 – 25 March 1934) was a British ornithologist and writer. He was the younger brother of big-game hunter Frederick Selous. Born in London, the son of a wealthy stockbroker, Selous was educated privately and matricul ...

and his wife Fanny Margaret Maxwell. Selous, a naturalist, author and traveler, decorated the inside of the castle's tower with his collection of butterflies. During their time at the castle, Maxwell founded the local branch of the Women's Institute in 1923 and was its first president.

Castle design

Wyke Castle is built of Portland stone rubble and ashlar, with slate and lead roofs. It is made up of a two-storey circular tower at its centre, with projecting low ranges leading to their own rectangular towers. The towers are ornamented with stone parapets, and the circular tower has a domed interior. The design of the castle was influenced by the

Martello Tower Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand u ...

References

{{reflist Folly castles in England Grade II listed buildings in Dorset Castles in Dorset Grade II listed castles 1855 establishments in England