The civil parish of Corfe Castle stretches across the width of the Isle of Purbeck, with coasts facing both the English Channel and Poole Harbour.

It, therefore, includes sections of both the low-lying sandy heathland that lies to the north of the castle and the rugged Jurassic Coast upland to the south.

In 1791 Pike signed a five-year contract with Josiah Wedgwood to supply 1,200 tons of clay and search for further deposits.

[6] From the 1796 Corfe Castle Census of the 96 men involved in local industries and living in the town, 55 were clay cutters.

The village had two watermills, West Mill on the River Wicken ceased operating in 1792 but the building was used for poor housing until 1915.

[9] The parish of Corfe Castle encompasses a broad swathe of the Isle of Purbeck and has an area of 14+1⁄2 square miles (37.45 km2).

To the south, it includes the smaller village of Kingston and a section of the Jurassic Coast facing the English Channel.

To the north, it includes a large area of heathland stretching as far as the southern shore of Poole Harbour, where Furzey, Green, Long and Round little islands also form part of the parish.

[14] Within the Church of St. Edward is an alabaster reredos inset with carvings in white marble, designed by the famous Victorian architect George Edmund Street R.A., which was presented by Lord Eldon in 1876.

[21] After 2019 structural changes to local government in England, Corfe Castle is part of the South East Purbeck ward which elects 1 member to Dorset Council.

On some days, diesel trains also run to Wareham, where they connect with National Rail services to London, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth.

[25] Keith Roberts, an English science fiction writer who lived nearby, set his alternative history novel Pavane partly around the castle.

Corfe was featured in the 1971 film Bedknobs and Broomsticks released by The Walt Disney Company, doubling as the fictional village of Pepperinge Eye.