Pennsylvania Castle is a Gothic Revival

Gothic Revival architecture

The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...

 mansion on the Isle of Portland

Isle of Portland

The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...

, Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
The castle was formerly a hotel, was returned to use as a private residence at the end of the 20th century, and now is once more available for reservations and events.

History

The castle was built in 1797-1800 to designs by James Wyatt

James Wyatt

James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...

, for John Penn

John Penn (writer)

John Penn was an Anglo-American writer, a part proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania , and a governor of the Isle of Portland.-Life:John Penn was the son of Thomas Penn and his wife Juliana John Penn (aka "John Penn, Jr."[sic], "John Penn of Stoke") (22 February 1760, London, England – 21...

, Governor of Portland and grandson of William Penn

William Penn

William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...

, the founder of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. It is alleged that Churchill and Eisenhower planned part of the D-Day invasion there.

In the 1980s the building was converted into a hotel. It later became a private residence once more, before being sold in 2011 by the widow of the former owner, Stephen Curtis, a solicitor with business interests in Russia, who was killed in a helicopter crash in 2004.

Architecture

Originally a rectangular block constructed of squared and coursed Portland stone, with projecting corner turrets, embattled parapets and a circular tower, the castle was extended in the 20th century.