History
Orford Castle was built in 1165 when Henry II ordered that a new castle should be built overlooking Orford harbour in Suffolk. The Earl of Suffolk, Hugh Bigod had long been a thorn in Henry's side and Henry had confiscated Bigod's castles. In 1165 Hugh raised enough money to buy back his castle at Framlingham only to learn that Henry was building a royal castle at Orford to help keep control over the area. Bigod was the leader in a revolt some years later against Henry. The castle at Orford consisted of a central keep and curtain wall. The curtain wall fell down in the last century leaving just the central keep intact. The keep is circular in shape with three square towers. This design was better than the earlier simple square keeps as it removed the blind spots that allowed attackers to creep up on the corners and it also meant that it was harder to undermine. more...
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