Pinned on Places

In the county of Suffolk, stands an unusual yet complete castle keep at Orford castle in the quiet coastal village of Orford. Back in the 12^th century this town was busy and lively being by a busy port and it was second only to Ipswich as an important trading centre for Suffolk. The castle though is a striking medieval castle that was once used to emphasize it’s royal authority within the area, amazingly this keep is in fantastic condition following on some restoration works recently done, but although rather empty inside, it provides a great look into parts of medieval Britain and how people once lived.

Orford castle was originally built under the strict orders of King Henry II and although the surrounds don’t survive today, it was an impressively sized stone structure fortified and surrounded by a curtain wall and several defensive and clever mounds. When Henry acquired the throne in 1154 there was not a single royal castle in all of Suffolk, this was a bad idea as it meant the king had very little presence in the county and most importantly he needed a strong and intimidating presence to counter the power of the Earl of Norfolk, Hugh Bigod and the location and castle itself made perfect sense to root it’s home here in Orford. Modern day Orford castle is now a unique polygonal tower, it has three square turrets and 90 foot high.

This castle is famous and unique for the fact that it’s the earliest British castle for which records of its construction exists, this was down to some royal pipe rolls that were found here. The pipe rolls are a series of English public records for finance and administrative history, they would contain the royal income, breaking down each financial year, the name pipe rolls would have more than likely come about because of the sheepskin rolls that they used, once stored in the presses would have resembled a stack of pipes. But Henry’s pipe rolls showed that the total cost of the building of Orford castle was £1413 – which at the time was an extortionate amount of cash to part with. But the expense was worth every penny, for Henry, Orford was not just a fortress or a stronghold it was a symbol of his power and status and most importantly it was important for him to show off when threatened by some of the most powerful barons around.

You might wonder how the castle gets that iconic yellow tint, its made from local cement stone called ‘Septaria’ alongside ‘Barnack’ stone which is a fossil rich Northamptonshire limestone. Some Caen stone was imported from Normandy and used for the finer carved architectural detail alongside a hardened shelly sand that was used inside the castle. I love how this castle looks on the approach to it, and especially from the air.

The castle remained in royal hands right up until 1336 when it was sold by King Edward III and the castle began to decay over time with the curtain wall completely collapsing and the stone from it stolen and lost, yet the tall keep we climb today survived because of it was a very useful landmark for shipping. Later in the 19^th century the castle was adored by many for it’s rightly so picturesque qualities and it because a beautiful lavish summer home for the owners of the Sudbourne estate. It was Sir Richard Wallance in 1871 who furnished the upper hall. After sir Wallace the castle went through seven more private owners who enjoyed the castle before transferring the castle to the care of the English Heritage.

Not only reaching the top of the keep you get to see inside the small bakery room, but you get the chance to have a look over at the landscape of the place, you can really see why Henry wanted this and also the various vantage points you would have had from up here. On a day like today, a visit here is perfect, it was everything we wanted to experience and more.

There’s a small carpark just down by the entrance of the tower and most importantly its free. Entrance into Orford will set you back £8.50 for adults, £4.50 for children or free if you’re apart of the English Heritage membership. The area surrounding the castle is also a great walk around, you can easily bring a picnic and spend a good few hours exploring around.

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Till Next Time!