Orford Castle

Orford Castle is a castle in Orford in the English county of Suffolk, 12 miles northeast of Ipswich, with views over Orford Ness. It was built between 1165 and 1173 by Henry II of England.

Prior to the building of Orford Castle, Suffolk was dominated by the Bigod family, who held the title of the Earl of Norfolk and owned key castles at Framlingham, Bungay, Walton, and Thetford. Hugh Bigod had been one of a group of dissenting barons during the Anarchy in the reign of King Stephen, and Henry II wished to re-establish royal influence across the region. Henry confiscated the four castles from Hugh but returned Framlingham and Bungay to Hugh in 1165. Henry then decided to build his own royal castle at Orford, near Framlingham, and construction work began in 1165, concluding in 1173. The Orford site was around 2 miles from the sea, lying on flat ground with swampy terrain slowly stretching away down to the river Ore, about 1⁄2 mile away.

More posts..

St Lythans burial chamber

St Lythans burial chamber is a single stone megalithic dolmen, built around 6,000 BP (before present) as part of a chambered long barrow, during the mid-Neolithic period. From the end of the last ice age (between 10,000 and 12,000 BP), Mesolithic hunter-gatherers from Central

Wistman’s Wood

Wistman’s Wood has been mentioned in writing for hundreds of years. It is likely to be a left-over from the ancient forest that covered much of Dartmoor c. 7000 BC before Mesolithic hunter/gatherers cleared it around 5000 BC. Photographic and other records show that Wistman’s

Usk Castle

Usk Castle is a castle site in the town of Usk in central Monmouthshire, southeast Wales, United Kingdom. Within the castle, and incorporating parts of its gatehouse, stands Castle House. Usk castle and town was probably laid out and established in 1120, after some

Devil’s Quoits

Devil’s Quoits Henge and Stone Circle – The site is believed to be from the Neolithic Period, between 4000 and 5000 years old, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The henge is a major class II circle henge monument of the Late Neolithic date.

error: