Inside the 'getaway' British island bizarrely run by a supermarket giant

Brownsea Castle is run by the superstore giant John Lewis and the National Trust (Image: oxyman/ Jim Linwood) A gorgeous former castle occupied by one of Britain's most iconic high street retailers is offering a rare chance for the public to see inside. Superstore firm John Lewis currently leases Brownsea Castle, in Poole Harbour, Dorset, from the National Trust after the firm helped renovate the historic building the 1960s. The stunning structure was originally a medieval fort constructed in 1545 on the orders of King Henry VIII, who wanted a military bastion to protect the harbour and shipping from a feared French invasion.

During the English Civil War in the 1600s the site was occupied by Parliamentarian forces and later became privately owned by the politician William Benson who converted it into a private residence in 1726. function loadOvpScript(){let el=document.createElement('script');el.

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