Explore virtual ruins in Minecraft

A split image of the real Corfe Castle compared to the virtual build in Minecraft | © Xbox UK

Have you ever wanted to build castles and historic ruins in a virtual world? We've partnered with Xbox and Minecraft to let you do just that. In Minecraft: The Wild Update, you can reimagine history and create your own virtual versions of some of the oldest buildings and ruins

Corfe Castle recreated in Minecreaft

Join Minecraft YouTuber Grian and historian Alice Loxton as they recreate Corfe Castle, Dorset in Minecraft. As Alice guides Grian, who builds an exact replica of the castle in-game, you can learn more about different parts of the building, such as the keep and the gloriette. Alice also discusses the historic influences that have played a part in the different architectural styles you can see at Corfe Castle today.

Alice and Grian were also advised by Martin Papworth, Archaeologist from the National Trust, to prepare them with a good foundation of historic knowledge about Corfe Castle.

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Minecraft's Ruins Reimagined: Corfe Castle

In this video, join Minecraft YouTuber Grian and historian Alice Loxton as they reimagine Corfe Castle with Minecraft: The Wild Update. Minecraft players can access the Corfe Castle foundation ruin in the game and have a go at building up from the existing ruins to reimagine what it would have been like as a working castle over 1,000 years ago.

Players can join the Corfe Castle server at

How to join the server

Please follow these steps to join the Minecraft Corfe Castle server. You will need a copy of Minecraft Java edition to play.

1: Launch Minecraft and select Multiplayer from the main menu.
2: Click Add Server.
3: In the Server Address box, enter the host server's address – corfe.ruinsreimagined.com – and click Done.
4: Wait for the server to connect, and when it appears in the list, select it and click Join Server.

Minecraft is PEGI rated 7+.

Please visit https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/servers for more info on playing safely.

It was a fantastic experience working with the National Trust to rebuild Corfe Castle in Minecraft. This project is right up my alley. I can’t wait to see more people rebuilding this in their own way.