Orford Castle, England

The Orford Castle is a medieval castle located 20 kilometres northeast of Ipswich in the village of Orford, Suffolk, England. The castle was built by Henry II between 1165 and 1173. The unique castle which does not resemble any other in Britain or Ireland consisted of the 27,2 metres (90 feet) high central tower circulated with three rectangular tower built into the structure and was surrounded by a curtain wall with flanking towers and a fortified gatehouse. From the end of 13th century the Orford Castle fell into a disrepair and only the center tower with its three towers survived until today, while the outer curtain wall fell down leaving only traces of the outer defences.



Today is the Orford Castle maintained by the English Heritage and is open to the public. The Orford Castle is regarded as one of the best preserved medieval castles in Britain and is also the earliest British castle for which exist records of the construction works (held at the Public Records Office in London).