Actor James Purefoy has backed plans to see Rochester Castle restored. Hus latest film Ironclad is a multimillion-pound epic that details King John’s bloody siege of the castle in 1215, in which he tried to crush a band of rebels intent on stopping his march to power in London. The film’s producers disappointed castle supporters by choosing to build a life-size replica of Rochester Castle in Wales
But Rome and Resident Evil star James Purefoy, who appears as a Knight Templar, has thrown his weight behind the campaign to restore the castle. He said : “I spent a couple of days there. I think the castle is a living breathing monument to that story – I love it.”
Purefoy has even contacted Rochester Castle Restoration Society to see if a special summer screening could be arranged in the grounds.
The open-air screening would raise awareness of the society’s campaign to turn the castle into an interactive museum.
Purefoy said: “I would do my damndest to get the whole cast along for a screening.”
The society has joined forces with Medway Council and English Heritage, which manage the site between them.
It hopes to raise £10 million to repair the castle’s roofs, floors and stonework, transforming the site into a working attraction.
The idea for Ironclad sprung from a visit the director, Jonathan English, made to Rochester Castle. He was mesmerised by the haggard Norman structure.