Highcliffe Castle closes for major restoration

Highcliffe Castle was built in the 1830s by Lord Stuart de Rothesay

Highcliffe Castle near Christchurch is closing for five months as part of an £2.8m restoration project to open more of the building to the public.

The work will give visitors access to the Penleaze wing, which has been derelict since a fire in the 1950s.

The kitchen will be restored and new exhibition spaces created. Pieces of furniture held in storage by the V&A Museum will also be returned.

The Grade I listed castle will reopen in late March 2018.

More on this and other stories from across the South of England

A fire destroyed the roof of the mansion in the 1950s

Staircases, floors and lifts are being added and a new conservation studio will display an internationally-important collection of stained glass.

Funding for the work has come from a £2.8m Heritage Lottery grant.

The exterior of the building, owned by Christchurch Borough Council, was restored following a heritage ottery grant in 1995.

The castle was built in the 1830s by Lord Stuart de Rothesay and was once home to retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge, who lived there between 1916 and 1922.