Places to visit around Southwell, from Portland Castle
9 of the 16 places to visit in and around Southwell are castles or historic places. All of them lie outside Southwell. Here, one place is kept up by English Heritage. The best-known trip out is to Maiden Castle, 18 km away.
The best known around Southwell
Close behind Portland Castle are 2 castles, 2 museums and a fort.
Castle · English HeritagePortland Castle3.6 km outside town, to the north
CastleRufus Castle1.2 km outside town, to the northeast
CastlePennsylvania Castle1.1 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumPortland Museum1.2 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumTout Quarry1.9 km outside town, to the northFortFortVerne High Angle Battery2.6 km outside town, to the northEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Finding your way
Most of the 16 close by lie to the north.
The dashed line is Southwell’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
The list by type
Ahead are castles or historic places (9); next, museums or galleries (4).
Green: inside Southwell. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Portland Castle).
All the places to visit
Here are the 16 places within 5 km of its edge.
7
8Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
4 listed buildings are on Southwell’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Southwell →
Names further out
Worth the drive, Maiden Castle (18 km) is first of the 12.
Fort · English HeritageMaiden Castle18 km north
Castle · National TrustCorfe Castle30 km northeast · 190K visitors a year (2010)
MuseumThe Tank Museum23 km northeast
CastleSandsfoot Castle7.3 km north
Castle · English HeritageLulworth Castle21 km northeast
Historic house · National TrustClouds Hill25 km northeast
Abbey or priory · English HeritageAbbotsbury Abbey18 km northwest
MuseumNothe Fort8.6 km north
MuseumAbbotsbury Subtropical Gardens19 km northwest
MuseumBennetts Water Gardens10 km north
CastleBrownsea Castle39 km northeast
MuseumDinosaur Museum21 km northPlaces well known beyond Southwell (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Southwell, answered
What is there to see near Southwell?
No attraction is mapped inside Southwell itself. Within 5 km of it are Portland Castle, Rufus Castle, Pennsylvania Castle and Portland Museum.
Does Southwell have a museum?
4 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Southwell: Portland Museum, Tout Quarry, Grove Prison Museum and Castletown D-Day Centre.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Southwell?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Southwell, 1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Portland Castle).
What are the best-known days out near Southwell?
Within 40 km: Maiden Castle (18 km), Corfe Castle (30 km), The Tank Museum (23 km), Sandsfoot Castle (7.3 km).
Where are Southwell’s historic buildings listed?
Southwell has 4 listed buildings. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Southwell when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (19)
- Portland Castle: Mark.murphy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rufus Castle: Mike Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pennsylvania Castle: Mike Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Portland Museum: Mike Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tout Quarry: Ajsmith141, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Verne Citadel: Chris Downer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Blacknor Fort: Ajsmith141, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maiden Castle: Major George Allen (1891–1940), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Corfe Castle: Albany E. Howarth, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- The Tank Museum: Hohum, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sandsfoot Castle: Ajsmith141, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lulworth Castle: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Clouds Hill: LordHarris at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Abbotsbury Abbey: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Nothe Fort: Stephen Williams, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens: Donarreiskoffer, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bennetts Water Gardens: Schlaier, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brownsea Castle: Iain A. Wanless, https://www.flickr.com/photos/reemul/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dinosaur Museum: Chris Talbot, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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