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..

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan is a small tidal island where three sea lochs meet, Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh, in the western Highlands of Scotland. A picturesque castle that frequently appears in photographs, film, and television dominates the island, which lies about 1 kilometer from

Castle Rising

Castle Rising is a ruined medieval fortification in the village of Castle Rising, Norfolk, England. It was built soon after 1138 by William d’Aubigny II, who had risen through the ranks of the Anglo-Norman nobility to become the Earl of Arundel. With his new wealth,

Merrivale Standing Stones

Merrivale Standing Stones and avenue – Remains of a Bronze Age settlement and a complex of ritual sites, including three stone rows, a stone circle, standing stones, and a number of cairns – earth mounds associated with burials. The monuments were probably built over a

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

error: