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Orford Castle is a late 12th-century fortification built by Henry II between 1165 and 1173 on the Suffolk coast. The castle is distinguished by its well-preserved cylindrical keep, a notable example of Norman military architecture, which originally stood approximately 90 feet high with walls some 10 feet thick. The site includes associated quarry workings and the fragmentary remains of a 20th-century observation post, reflecting its continued strategic use during the Second World War. The keep survives largely intact as the principal architectural feature, and the castle played an important defensive role in medieval East Anglian military geography before becoming obsolete following the development of artillery fortification.
Orford Castle with adjoining quarry and remains of 20th century look-out post is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1014860. View the official record →
Orford Castle is a late 12th-century fortification built by Henry II between 1165 and 1173 on the Suffolk coast. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1014860.
Orford Castle with adjoining quarry and remains of 20th century look-out post is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1014860.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Orford Ness: the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment test buildings and associated structures (2.4 km), Bowl barrow in Tunstall Forest, 900m west of Blacklands Farm (3.8 km), Bowl barrow in Tunstall Forest, 1300m south of Heath Cottages (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Orford Castle with adjoining quarry and remains of 20th century look-out post's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Orford Castle with adjoining quarry and remains of 20th century look-out post stands on Neogene To Quaternary Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Quaternary. The rock here is gravel, sand, silt and clay.