Castle
Orford Castle
ENG England · 12th century
Orford Castle is a castle in Orford in the English county of Suffolk, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Ipswich, with views over Orford Ness. It was built between 1165 and 1173 by Henry II of England to consolidate royal power in the region. The well-preserved keep, described by historian R. Allen Brown as "one of the most remarkable keeps in England", is of a unique design and probably based on Byzantine architecture. The keep stands within the earth-bank remains of the castle's outer fortifications.
Text adapted from “Orford Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Orford Castle ranks #1,867 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #127 of the 329 mapped in England. Founded 1165, it is older than 81% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 544 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,032 times in the last 60 days, more than 67% of the atlas. Wikidata records about 31,000 visitors in 2017. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Colchester, 49 km away. See how England compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Orford Castle?
Orford Castle stands in England, at 52.0942°, 1.53073°.
When was Orford Castle built?
The atlas dates its founding to 1165. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
How famous is Orford Castle?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #1,867 of 7,738 worldwide, and #127 in England. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Orford Castle?
Framlingham Castle, about 19 km away.
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