Orford Castle, Orford

Name: Orford Castle
Address: Castle Hill, Orford, IP12 2ND, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 1394 450472

#1 among attractions in Orford

Top attraction, Forts and castles, Romanesque architecture

Gallery (3)

Map

Gallery

Facts and practical information

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 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. ()

Alternative names: Coordinates: 52°5'39"N, 1°31'51"E

Address

Castle HillOrford IP12 2ND United Kingdom

Contact

+44 1394 450472

Website

Social media

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Orford

Day trips

Orford Castle – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Aldeburgh Beach Lookout, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh Cinema, Orfordness Lighthouse.

4.9 miNE
Museum, Art gallery
Aldeburgh Beach Lookout, Aldeburgh
126 min walk • The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout is a historic landmark on the Aldeburgh sea front, in Suffolk, England. Grade II listed, it was built around 1830 as a lookout tower to assist or plunder shipping along the hazardous North Sea coast. It now houses an artistic space, hosting exhibitions by British artists including Sir Antony Gormley RA.
5 miN
Music and shows, Nightlife, Shopping
Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh
128 min walk • Snape Maltings is an arts complex on the banks of the River Alde at Snape, Suffolk, England. It is best known for its concert hall, which is one of the main sites of the annual Aldeburgh Festival.
5.1 miNE
Nightlife, Cinema
Aldeburgh Cinema, Aldeburgh
131 min walk • Aldeburgh Cinema is one of the oldest, continuously running cinema houses in the United Kingdom. It is located in the town of Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
2 miE
Lighthouse, Vernacular architecture
Orfordness Lighthouse, Orford
51 min walk • Orfordness Lighthouse was a lighthouse on Orford Ness, in Suffolk, England. The 30 metres tower was completed in 1792. Work began on demolition in July 2020, and was completed in August. The light had a range of 25 nautical miles. It was equipped with an AIS transmitter with MMSI 992351016.
~980 ftE
Church
St Bartholomew's Church, Orford
5 min walk • The Church of St Bartholomew is the parish church of the town of Orford, England. A medieval church, dating from the fourteenth century, with reconstructions in the nineteenth and twentieth century, it is a Grade I listed building.
4.2 miW
Natural attraction, Park, Trail
Rendlesham Forest, Woodbridge
108 min walk • Rendlesham Forest is a 1,500-hectare mixed woodland in Suffolk owned by Forestry England with recreation facilities for walkers, cyclists and campers.
5.1 miNE
Church
St Peter and St Paul's Church, Aldeburgh
131 min walk • St Peter and St Paul's Church, Aldeburgh is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
4.7 miNE
Windmill
Fort Green Mill, Aldeburgh
120 min walk • Fort Green Mill is a tower mill at Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England which has been converted to residential accommodation.
5 miNE
Church
Church of Our Lady and St Peter, Aldeburgh
127 min walk • The Church of Our Lady and St Peter is a Roman Catholic church in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. It is part of the Diocese of East Anglia. The church is still not complete. A wood-paneled north wall indicates uncompleted plans for further extension. The building is aligned north–south rather than east–west, and the porch faces east.
4.4 miSW
52°3'23"N • 1°26'47"E
The Suffolk Punch Trust, Woodbridge
114 min walk • Museum, Farm
1.5 miSE
Beach
Orford Ness, Orford
38 min walk • Orford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Weir Point, opposite Shingle Street.