Sandsfoot Castle Sandsfoot Castle is one of Henry VIII ' s Device Forts , also known as Henrician Castles , built around 1541 to the west of Weymouth , Dorset , England , opposite its contemporary Portland Castle . Together these two forts put the whole of Portland harbour and the roads within range of their artillery , thus protecting shipping from foreign raiders , and preventing an invading landing force from forming up offshore , although the castle was always vulnerable to attack from a landward direction . Most of the castle has fallen into the sea , however the ruins have been Grade II * Listed since late 1953 . History . Military use . The castle dates back to 1539 and was completed in 1541 , by Henry VIII as an artillery castle . It was designed specifically as part of the king ' s network of coastal defences to protect against both French and Spanish attacks , based on the possibility of attacks by Roman Catholic enemies due to the change in the established religion in England . It was completed two years after its contemporary Portland Castle . The castle went under repair in 1584 due to damage suffered by coastal erosion and undermining by the sea . Remedial works were later undertaken in 1610 - 11 and again in 1623 . From 1642 , the castle often changed hands and was held for the King by the Royalist during the English Civil War . However , in 1644 - 45 , the castle was surrendered to Parliamentary forces by , governor for the king , Colonel Ashburnham . It was also considered to be of no military importance and of no further use to the Royalists . Afterwards the castle dungeons were used as a mint for striking coinage during the war , giving it a greater importance to both defenders and attackers . The castle never saw serious military action and was dropped from the Military Register in 1665 . Abandonment and ruin . After being dropped by the Royalists , the castle was held by governor Humphrey Weld for a long time for the government , who eventually left the castle as its condition declined . The castle was used as a storehouse until 1691 . Following its role as a storehouse , the castle became fully abandoned for centuries and was left to crumble away into the sea . By the end of the 17th century , the castle was becoming a ruin , and in 1837 , the southern section fell into the sea , whilst the gun deck also fell into the sea during the 18th century . Since the completion of the enclosure of Portland Harbour in the late 19th century , the castle was greatly protected from the tide and was therefore less under threat from coastal erosion . However , it became more under threat from land instability which caused further erosion to the structure . Over the years , much of the castle ' s facing stone was removed , especially from the easily reached lower levels , and was used in other structures , including the foundations of Weymouth ' s Town Bridge in the 19th century . It was the first stone bridge between Weymouth and Melcombe Regis . In 1876 , a short novel titled " The Poisoned Cup " by Joseph Drew was set in the reign of Elizabeth I and used Sandsfoot Castle as its backdrop . In 1902 , Weymouth Corporation purchased the castle from the Department of Woods and Forests for a total of £150 . In 1930 , the castle was declared unsafe and closed to the public , although Tudor style gardens were laid out in front of the castle in 1931 . During the Second World War an anti - aircraft battery was positioned at the castle . Throughout the 20th century , it remained out of bounds via fencing due to continued safety concerns and to protect visitors from falling masonry . In 2003 , the castle was listed on the English Heritage Buildings At Risk Register , when it was in need of urgent work . The Royal Coat of Arms carved in stone was removed from the castle and today remains over the south door of All Saints ' Church in Wyke Regis . Being Tudor , the lion rampant is joined at the shield by a wyvern rather than the unicorn . Restoration . In late 2009 , however , a proposed restoration project was put forward after the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded £23 , 100 to carry out a specialist survey of the castle . The money was given both to the Friends of the Rodwell Trail and Weymouth and Portland Council who together expressed a wish to reopen the ruined building as a tourist attraction . The proposed project planned to stabilise , preserve and monitor the structure of the castle , thus making it safe for public access . In a BBC news article in December 2009 , David Carter , the Sandsfoot Castle project manager , had been quoted , stating " " Our ultimate aim is to see Sandsfoot Castle saved from premature destruction . To our knowledge , there isn ' t another example of this style of Tudor fortification in the country so it ' s imperative that efforts are made to stabilise the structure that remains . We still have a way to go to achieve full funding but , for the time being , we ' ll revel in the success of the development grant and , with good support from our Heritage Lottery Fund Grants Officer , we will hopefully be able to enjoy the castle for generations to come . " " In early 2011 the Heritage Lottery Fund made a grant of £194 , 700 to pay for the castle to be restored so it could be opened to the general public . The plans included a new platform on the interior walls , as well as installation of floodlighting and information panels . The restoration work was completed in 2012 , in time for the Olympic Games when the sailing events took place at the Isle of Portland . The castle ' s opening was on 1 July 2012 as part of the area ' s fourth annual Tudor Fayre within the Sandsfoot Gardens . In a Dorset Echo article based on the upcoming opening , David Carter of the Friends of Rodwell Trail and Sandsfoot Castle was quoted " " By working in partnership , the Friends and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council are proud to be giving back Sandsfoot Castle to the community once again . " " Shortly after , the Friends of the Rodwell Trail group used Digibug to create a website based on the castle and the Rodwell Trail , in order to refurbish their online presence and promote the local landmarks . The restoration work consisted of stabilisation of the masonry and the construction of an internal walkway that follows the inside of the walls . This walkway design was considered with care to lessen impact on the ruin . A small viewing gallery was also created , overlooking Portland Harbour and the area of the gun platform , which had fallen into the sea many centuries ago . A historical booklet and a free guide was also to be produced . This restoration made the area more accessible and ensured conservation of the castle for future generations . The progress made has given hope that the site will be removed from the Heritage at Risk Register in 2013 . In November 2012 , the design of the castle and grounds was the winner in Weymouth Civic Society ' s annual awards . Judges praised the renovation of the site , turning it into a " crowning attraction " of the area and also praised the development for its intimate and close - knit layout , original design and pleasing appearance . Pru Bollam , president of the society , stated in a Dorset Echo article " " The ruins of Sandsfoot Castle have stood for many years behind a barrier of high railings and ' out of bounds ' signs . Simple but effective measures have now been taken to stabilise and open up this ancient monument to the public , with careful workmanship to conserve all the old structure remaining . A new experience of Sandsfoot Castle has been created , enabling an important piece of English history to be appreciated and enjoyed by the public . The castle now forms the crowning attraction in the pleasant surroundings of the enhanced and well - maintained gardens . " " Design . The castle was built at a cost of £3887 - 4s - 1d . The castle was rectangular with two storeys and dungeons . The basement provided an emplacement for heavy cannon emplacement , underground powder magazines and quarters for about fifty men . It was protected by a ditch and a series of earth ramparts . The bastion earthworks were probably added in 1610 - 11 during remedial works , whilst later bastion earthworks were added in the early 17th century before the castle was abandoned . The castle is orientated on a north - west / south - east axis . The castle was made of Portland stone rubble with a facing of ashlar . Evidence suggests that some of the stone used in the construction possibly came from earlier local ecclesiastical buildings that were destroyed after the Dissolution of the Monasteries , notably the Cistercian monastery Bindon Abbey , near Wool . The castle originally had a central block of 2 storeys and basement , with an entrance gate , as well as an octagonal gun - room on the seaward side . Today the outer walls and the castle ' s gatehouse remain much decayed , whilst the gun - room has largely been a victim of coastal erosion and its platform has fallen into the sea many centuries ago . Outside , the castle ' s entry front has left side remains of the gatehouse over an entry with a straight - sided low arch . The right side has remains of walling to the basement , ground and first floors , with ashlar remnants to the upper level , as well as very steep sloping sills . Beneath are 6 lights to peaked heads which are in unfaced walling , and feature 5 square - headed openings to the castle ' s basement level . The opposite side has 4 casements in some ashlar facing , which are above 4 openings to the main level , whilst the basement level is below ground level on this side . The castle is completely unroofed and has no floors or fittings except for remains of a fireplace and doorways at the seaward end . Area . The site is easily accessible as a local garden and lies nearby the Rodwell Trail , a short - distance footpath that runs from Wyke Regis to the town centre of Weymouth via the route of a disused railway line . Also close by is the sandy beach Sandsfoot Cove , a . k . a Castle Cove , which lies adjacent to the remains of Sandsfoot Castle and is backed by low cliffs . The small cove is privately owned . As a sheltered and sandy area , Castle Cove is popular for swimming , sailing , snorkelling and diving . Sandsfoot Gardens form the grounds around the ruins of the castle . Originally designed in 1931 , the gardens have remained popular with local people for many decades . The small gardens are made up of seasonal flowers , herb beds and herbaceous borders , which surround an ornamental pond , with a fountain , in the centre of the grounds . A new cafe and terraced area was re - established at the entrance of the gardens in the summer of 2006 . The defensive earthworks of the castle now form part of landscaped gardens . The wooden bridge leading from the gardens to the castle was removed around 2002 - 3 but has since been replaced with a new wooden bridge .