A rare polygonal keep that Henry II raised on the Suffolk coast in the 1160s, still standing almost whole
Open to visitorsan English Heritage site — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
Orford’s keep, the central tower, is an odd and clever one: many-sided on the outside with three square turrets, round and vaulted within. Henry II had it built between about 1165 and 1173, partly to hold royal power on a coast where the Bigod family had grown too strong at nearby Framlingham. The royal accounts for the work still exist, which makes Orford one of the first English castles whose building can be dated closely. The curtain wall (the outer wall ringing the courtyard) and its towers have long gone, so the keep now stands alone on its green mound above the town. English Heritage looks after it, and you can climb through the chambers and stairs inside up to the roof, where the view runs out over the shingle to Orford Ness. The village of Orford sits just below, with the Suffolk Coast & Heaths around it.
More at the National Heritage List entry
