HISTORY Framlingham and Orford Castles

ENGLISH HERITAGE TEACHER’S KIT HISTORY 

Framlingham and Orford Castles 

The history of these two castles has been inextricably linked for the past 1000 

years. Providing state of the art defences for Henry II and the rival Bigod family, 

the castles dominated the Suffolk landscape. It is recommended that you visit both 

castles to gain a greater understanding of their history. This resource will help you 

to interpret the properties and provide you with engaging activity ideas to 

undertake with your students. 

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FRAMLINGHAM CASTLE 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 

Prehistory, Roman, and Britons, English 

and Vikings 

Although there were Romano British 

settlements nearby there is no direct 

evidence for early settlement at 

Framlingham. 

In the 1950s archaeologists found a 

cemetery close by what is now the 

entrance to the castle. Pottery found 

with the 50 skeletons of men, women 

and children date to the mid Saxon 

period and the burials certainly predate 

the castle by some time. 

The Middle Ages 

In c1100 Roger Bigod was given land at 

Framlingham by Henry I. Roger Bigod 

built the first castle at Framlingham and 

this was probably a fortified mound 

surrounded by a timber palisade. 

Roger’s son Hugh Bigod used the civil 

war between Stephen and Matilda to 

gain more power. Originally siding with 

Stephen, Hugh rebelled against him 

twice. Despite this, Stephen created 

him Earl of Norfolk in 1141 and this 

was confirmed by Matilda when Hugh 

switched sides. 

In 1154 High supported Henry as he 

took the throne. Around this time 

Hugh started to build the first stone 

building at the castle. 

ORFORD CASTLE 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 

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Prehistory, Roman, and Britons, English 

and Vikings 

There is some evidence from 

archaeological finds that the area was 

lived in during the Bronze Age, Iron 

Age Roman and Saxon periods 

The Middle Ages 

Documents from the first half of the 

12th century mention a market and a 

causeway suggesting a village, probably 

dependant on fishing, existed around 

1100. 

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ENGLISH HERITAGE TEACHER’S KIT 




the castles dominated the Suolk landscape. It is recommended that you visit both 




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FRAMLIN GHAM C AST LE 

By 1157 Henry II seemed worried 

about the amount of power held by 

Hugh lost the castle again in 1173 when 

he joined a rebellion against the King. 

Henry ordered the walls of the castle 

to be destroyed and Hugh died while 

on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 

By 1189 Roger Bigod II had gained back 

his father’s title and started rebuilding 

the castle. Roger built the strong 

curtain walls that you can see today. 

O RFO RD C AST LE 

Hugh Bigod and he conscated his lands 

and installed royal mercenaries at the 

castle. 

The village was part of Thomas 

In 1165 Framlingham was returned to Becket’s estate until it was removed 

Hugh but at the same time Henry II during his quarrels with Henry II in 

started to build his own stronghold at 1164. Becket ed to France and 

Orford. 

concerns about a possible invasion gave 

Henry a reason to build a castle in 

Orford - as well as his concern over 

the inuence of the Bigods 

BO O K IN G AN D SIT E IN FO RMAT IO N 

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Henry II decided to build his own 

stronghold in Suolk. Records from this 

time (pipe rolls) show that this was one 

of the most expensive castles ever built 

costing £1413 against the annual crown 

income of £18000. 

The location was specically chosen to 

place a wedge between Framlingham 

Castle and the coast. It had a great 

vantage point from the top of the keep 

and was easy to provision via land and 

coast. 

Henry’s architect and engineer also 

drained the marshes in the area, 

increasing the amount of farmland 

available. The new castle was designed 

to intimidate the Bigod and restore 

order to the area. The keep was 

nished in around 1166 followed by the 

walls in 1168. 

HISTORY 


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The Bigods continued to quarrel with 

crown and Roger and his son Hugh 

were the rst two barons enlisted to 

enforce the Magna Carta. King John 

was so angry that in 1216 he laid siege 

to the castle. After two days the castle 

surrendered and Roger lost 

Framlingham again. 

After Roger died in 1225 the estate 

passed to his grandson Hugh III. He 

rebelled against Henry III in 1258 but 

managed to retain his lands. 

Roger Bigod V inherited the castle in 

1270. He made repairs to Framlingham 

and built extensively at his other home 

of Chepstow Castle. This lavish 

spending eventually left him bankrupt 

and he was force to leave Framlingham 

Castle to Edward I in his will. 

The castle was later gifted to Thomas 

Mowbray in 1397 when he was made 

Duke of Norfolk. In 1476 the castle 

passes to another powerful family - the 

Howards, through marriage. 

T udor 

In 1483 John Howard was created 

Duke of Norfolk by Richard III. John 

died leading troops at the battle of 

Bosworth and the castle was again 

conscated by the crown. John’s son, 

Thomas, eventually won back the 

castle. He led troops at the battle of 

Flodden Field. 





In 1217 the castle was briey lost to 

the French and slightly damaged. Henry 

III repaired the castle. 

In the 1260s Orford Castle changed 

hands many times during the second 

Baron’s war. The castle was eventually 

won back by the crown and given to 

the future Edward 1. 

Edward I visited Orford in 1277. As the 

Bigod threat waned the crown lost 

interest in the castle and it was leased 

out and eventually sold to the Earl of 

Suolk in 1336 

T udor 

The harbour at Orford was slowly 

silting up and trade declined. The castle 

changed hands many time and gradually 

decayed due to disuse. 



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It was Thomas who built the red brick 

additions to the castle including the 

chimneys. The castle is again lost to the 

crown after Thomas’ son (also Thomas) 

loses favour and is imprisoned in the 

Tower of London. 

In 1553 Framlingham Castle was given 

to Mary Tudor by her brother Edward 

VI. She waited here with her 

supporters camped outside, waiting to 

hear if she would succeed to the 

throne. On her accession Mary 

pardoned Thomas who died shortly 

afterwards leaving Framlingham castle 

to his son, also called Thomas. Thomas 

Howard lost the castle again after 

pledging his support to Mary Queen of 

Scots. By 1598 the castle was a ruin. 

Stuarts 

The Howards eventually sold the castle 

in 1635 at a huge sum of £14,000 to Sir 

Robert Hitcham, Senior Serjeant at law 

to James I. Sir Robert died later that 

same year and stipulated that the stone 

be used to build a house for the poor. 

The castle is left to Hitcham’s old 

college, Pembroke College, Cambridge. 

Georgian 

After years of legal wrangling the first 

poorhouse was built within the castle in 

1729. It continued in use until 1839. 

ORFORD CASTLE 




Whilst still useful as a coastal signalling 

station the castle was uninhabited and 

was finally bought by Michael Stanhope, 

groom of the Chamber to Elizabeth 1st 

and later James 1st, in the 1590s. He 

commissioned a major survey of his 

new manor from John Norden. 

Stuarts 

Stanhope used stone from the castle 

walls to make foundations for his new 

home, Sudbourne Hall. By the mid 

1600s Orford Castle was in a state of 

real neglect with roofs and floors 

collapsing. 

Georgian 

In 1753 Stanhopes’ descendents sold 

Sudbourne and Orford to the Earl of 

Hertford. In 1805 Frances Marquis of 

Hertford wanted to demolish the keep 

but wasn’t allowed to as it was an 

important navigation mark for ships 

passing the sandbanks. 



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Later History 

In the 18thC the castle was used as an 

ammunition store during the 

Napoleonic wars. In 1839 the 

poorhouse was converted into a parish 

hall, it later serves as a drill hall and a 

courtroom. 

During WWII Framlingham was an 

important part of the country’s 

defences and Nissen huts and a lorry 

park were set up in the inner bailey. 

The castle was given to the Ministry of 

Works in 1913 and passed into the care 

of English Heritage in 1984 . 





Later History 

In the nineteenth century the castle 

became a ‘summer-house’ for the 

owners of the Sudbourne estate. The 

Marquises of Hertford (owners from 

1754-1870) and Sir Richard Wallace 

(1871-1884) furnished the Upper Hall. 

In 1928 the castle was purchased by 

Lord Woodbridge who gave it to the 

Orford Town Trust. 

During WWII the castle was 

requisitioned and a radar post 

positioned on the top of the south 

turret. The keep was slightly damaged. 

In 1962 the castle was transferred to 

the Ministry of Works and 

subsequently came into the care of 

English Heritage in 1984 



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SITE TOUR 

Exterior 

The path that your group will take to 

enter the castle, follows the original 

approach set out in Medieval times. 

The bailey would have been found in 

the meadow to the right and the trees 

beyond it mark the line of the outer 

ditch. 

The inner ditch that you will cross was 

dry, and looking to the left you can 

make out the remains of the large 

defensive tower and earthworks. 

The curtain wall was built around 1190 

and reaches 10.5 metres high, and is 

2.3m thick. Dotted with arrow loops, 

the crenellated battlements and huge 

towers make for an imposing first 

impression. 

The exterior may have been used as 

inspiration for the building work at 

Orford Castle, whose curtain wall is 

now lost. 

Gatehouse 

The original Norman gatehouse was 

remodeled during Tudor times. 

Originally it was protected by a 

drawbridge and portcullis, you can see 

the remains of the Norman stone piers 

underneath the arches in the ditch 

below. 

Above the wooden doors are the arms 




of the Dukes of Norfolk, alongside the 

heraldry of their ancestors. 

Well 

The castle well, just inside of the 

gatehouse, is 30 metres deep. 

The great hall and poorhouse 

The only building to survive within the 

interior of the castle is the poorhouse. 

This was built around the shell of the 

Medieval great hall and traces of the 

original building can be seen within. 

Inside the hall would have stood a large 

central open hearth with private 

chambers to the north. Here the earls 

and dukes of Norfolk would have 

entertained their guests and dined. 

Hung with tapestries the lavishly 

decorated room would have been 

designed to impress visitors to the 

castle. 

The poorhouse housed three floors, 

the first was a work room, the second 

held a committee room and the third 

floor was used as accommodation. The 

hole in the ceiling was the coffin chute, 

as coffins couldn’t be carried down the 

narrow winding stairs. 

Wall walk 

This was the quickest way to move 

around the castle defences. Sentries 

stood guard in the towers and archers 

could shoot from it in times of attack. 

Framlingham is unusual, in that unlike 

castles such as Orford, it does not 

seem to have had a central keep, 

meaning that the curtain wall was its 



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PAGE 7|10 

nal defence. The wall was divided up 

into 13 towers connected by timber 

platforms that the soldiers could burn 

to protect the towers and people 

within them. 

The most vulnerable areas of the castle 

were the south and east, where the 

land around it was high. It is here that 

you can see a concentration of arrow 

loops and holes for the vertical ipping 

wooden shutters which once protected 

the archers. Here you can also see 

evidence of latrines and their disposal 

chute. 

W estern tower 

Built around 1190, this tower was used 

to protect the castle from a western 

attack. Also known as the prison 

tower, the deep pit to the front may 

have been a dungeon. By the 16th 

century the tower had been converted 

into a garden viewing gallery . 

C himneys 

The two cylindrical stone chimneys 

date from 1150 and are the earliest 

examples in England. These served the 

chamber block below and were 

extended using red bricks during the 

Tudor period. The majority of the 

chimneys in the castle are purely 

decorative and followed the fashions of 

royal palaces such as Hampton Court. 

Framlingham great park 

To the north and west of the castle was 

the great park, which the earls, dukes 

and visiting royalty used for hunting. 




Lower court 

This area originally housed buildings 

such as granaries, stables and barns. By 

the 16th century it was most likely 

converted into a garden. 

C hamber block 

Situated within the inner court, traces 

of this, the oldest building within the 

castle, are left on display. This block 

provided accommodation for the 

dukes’ and earls’ families . 

C hapel 

The roof line running along the eastern 

tower wall marks the site of the chapel 

built in 1150. In 1524 the chapel was 

richly decorated with velvet altar cloths 

and a tapestry of Christ’s Passion. 

T he Lanman Museum 

The Lanman Museum is located within 

the castle and tells the story of 

Framlingham from the late 19th century 

to the late 20th century. The museum 

collection highlights the nature of life in 

the town after the castle ceased to 

dominate its existence. 

There are displays illustrating farming, 

life before mechanisation, and light 

industrial activity. Domestic life from 

this period is presented through a 

kitchen range and utensils of the time. 

The museum has originals of every 

copy of the Framlingham Weekly News 

which is displayed on a weekly rotation. 



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Schools are most welcome to visit the 

museum or undertake a collection 

based study. For further information, 

including tours, please contact 

gilderfram@aol.com. 

ORFORD CASTLE 

SITE TOUR 

The approach 

The keep was built between 1165-73 

and features an unusual cylindrical 

interior and polygonal exterior. Most 

keeps at this time were rectangular, 

much like the castle at Dover, which 

was also built by Henry II. This new 

design was forward thinking and an 

experiment in new defence techniques. 

Three types of stone were used to 

build the keep: 

Sandy oolitic limestone from 

Northamptonshire 

Caen stone from Normandy 

Clayed septaria limestone from 

the local area. 

Inside the keep there are two circular 

floors, each with suites which are built 

within the turrets. 

Entrance 

The path you will take to enter the 

keep cuts across the original 

earthworks. The stairs leading into the 

keep are from the 19th century, but 

follow the line of the original steps. 

The entrance lobby is where visitors 

would have been received. The 




archway between the lobby and the 

lower hall has a fine example of a triple 

arch with ornamental carvings. 

In this area, students should be able to 

identify some key defensive features 

including the grooves for the portcullis 

and slots in the doorways for heavy 

bolts to bar the doors. 

Lower hall 

Though the keep was never used as a 

primary residence, it was often 

garrisoned and was the setting for 

courts and dispensing of justice. The 

lower hall would have provided the 

location for such gatherings and 

evidence of this is visible in the stone 

benches which line the walls. 

In the castle hey-day the walls would 

have been plastered and painted and 

brightly coloured furniture would have 

been found here. The window alcoves 

lit the room during the day and were 

shuttered at night. Many of these 

alcoves lead to further rooms. 

Kitchen 

The kitchen within the keep is rather 

small, though the heavy wear on the 

steps show that it was well used. A 

larger kitchen was located in the bailey. 

Just past the kitchen is a garderobe 

with two seats, which it can be 

assumed were partitioned off from each 

other. The room was well ventilated 

and shows that particular attention was 

paid to sanitation. 



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C onstable’s chamber 

This room was no doubt allocated to 

an important ocial due to it’s 

proximity to the large warming re and 

distance from the lower hall. A urinal 

is also located in the outer wall of the 

passage, saving a long walk to the 

garderobe. The north chamber, 

located near to here was also warmed 

by the re and was probably allocated 

to middle-ranking visitors. 

The main stairway can be accessed 

from this point, students should note 

that it has been designed to give 

right-handed defenders space to use 

their sword, and hinders attackers 

approaching from below. 

Basement 

This space was used to house food and 

water, and was particularly useful 

during sieges. The well is nearly 14 

metres deep. Due to the close 

proximity to the sea, the water from 

here was often salty. Therefore water 

was collected from the roof though 

cisterns and dispersed through pipes 

that can be seen dotted around the 

keep. 

C hapel and chaplain’s chamber 

The chapel was the most highly 

decorated space within the keep, and 

many of the decorative arches still 

survive. Students should be able to 

locate the piscine for washing sacred 

vessels, two cupboards and a squint to 

allow people in the outer passageway 




to hear the service. A key defence 

mechanism, the portcullis slot, is 

concealed beneath the raised wooden 

board. 

The chamber held a private latrine and 

store cupboard for the chaplain’s 

private use. 

Upper hall 

This hall was more highly decorated 

than the one below and was used to 

entertain important visitors. The room 

was topped o by an imposing conical 

roof, similar to those seen in Byzantium 

(Istanbul), aligning the king with the 

great rulers of the past. 

Rooms leading o from the hall include 

the upper kitchen where meals were 

heated and features a single roundarched 

replace and herringbone roof 

tiles. 

T he king’s chamber 

This room, complete with a private 

latrine, was easily reached from the 

upper hall. This was the most 

luxurious room in the keep and was 

reserved for the king’s use. 

Walking up the main staircase from this 

space you will come to a short passage 

way which has a cistern. This is one of 

the cisterns that collected rainwater for 

use within the castle. This method of 

water collection is similar to that at 

Dover Castle. 



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The roof 

Upon reaching the open roof space, 

your students will be able to admire the 

views out across Orford Ness, inland 

and the sea. This gives a good 

indication as to why this location was 

chosen as the vantage point is so vast. 

Also visible here is the Second World 

War radar observation post, showing 

the changing use of the castle over the 

centuries. 

The turrets once held shutters which 

were pivoted to allow arches to shoot 

outwards, then dropped back into place 

to protect them. 

Within the north turret is a large 

baking oven complete with decorative 

tiles. Be aware, that due to the size of 

the oven, students are prone to climb 

inside it. 

Earthworks 

Whilst there is a lot of activity in the 

area outside of the keep, little of the 

earthworks survive to reveal what the 

original curtain wall and outbuildings 

looked like. Reconstructions (provided 

in the Images section of this pack) give 

an indication of this, but a fine example 

of how they once looked is 

Framlingham Castle. Henry and his 

architect no doubt took inspiration 

from the impenetrable walls of his 

enemy and rival. 

From the outside, it is easier to gain a 

sense of the scale of the keep and to 

locate evidence such as the latrine 




chutes. Walking further a field you will 

come across an old quarry area and 

views of Orford Ness. 



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TIMELINE 

PREHISTORY 

(to A D42) 

ROMANS 

(43 - 409) 


BRITONS, 

ENGLISH, VIKINGS 

(410 - 1065) 


MIDDLE AGES 

(1066 - 1484) 

1086 

The Domesday Book 

notes Framlingham is 

under Norman control 

1101 

Henry I gives 

Framlingham to Roger 

Bigod 1 

1154 

Hugh Bigod builds the 

1st stone builings at 

Framlingham Castle 

1157 

Framlingham Castle is 

conscated by the 

1165 

Work on O rford Castle 

begins and the Bigod 

lands are returned 



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MIDDLE AGE S 

continued 

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1166 

The keep at Orford is 

completed 

1168 

The walls and towers at 

Orford Castle are built 

1173 

Hugh Bigod loses 

Framlingham follwing his 

rebellion against the king 

1135 

1189 

The Anarchy begins, Roger Bigod II reclaims 

Stephen and Matilda ght 

Framlingham and 

for the crown 

rebuilds the castle 

Henry II takes the 

throne, ending the 

Anarchy 

1216 

King John besieges 


1217 

Orford Castle is briey 

lost to the French 

1260s 

Orford Castle changes 

hands several times 

during the Baron’s War 

1270 

Roger Bigod IV inherits 

Framlingha, later he 

leaves the castle to 

Edward I in his will to 

pay o his debts 

1336 

Orford Castle is sold, it 

is no longer a royal 

castle









TIMELINE 

TUDOR 

(1485 - 1602) 

1483 

John Howard, of 

Framlingham castle, is 

created Duke of Norfolk 

1553 

Mary I finds support and 

shelter at Framlingham 

Castle 

STUART 

(1603 - 1713) 

1600s 

Orford Castle is 

reported to be a ruin 

1654 

The Framlingham 

almshouses are built 


GEORGIANS 

(1714 - 1836) 

1729 

The Framlingham 

poorhouse is built 

1831 

Restoration work begins 

on Orford Castle 


VICTORIANS 

(1837 - 1901) 

1839 

The poorhouse at 

Framlingham is turned 

into a parish hall 



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MODERN TIMES 

(1902 - TODAY) 

INFO 

1913 


given to the Ministry of 

Works 

1939-45 

Both castles are used by 

the military during 

World War II 

1950s 

Saxon graves are 

discovered at Orford 

Castle 

1962 

Orford Castle is given to 

the Ministry of Works 

1984 

English Heritage takes 

over from the Ministry 

of Works

ENGLISH HERITAGE TEACHER’S KIT INFO 


LOCATION 

Church Street, Framlingham, Suffolk 

IP13 9BP 

OS Grid Reference TM 28655 63553 

PAGE 1|2 

HOW TO GET THERE 

Bus First 63, from Ipswich railway station 

(passes Woodbridge station), Beeston 

118/9 from Ipswich 

Rail Wickham Market 61⁄2 miles, 

Saxmundham 7 miles 

FACILITIES 

Parking is available on site. Coach 

drivers should collect a free parking 

permit from the ticket office. 

Disabled access all ground floor areas 

within the castle walls are level surfaces. 

Steep spiral stairs are used to access the 

wall walk. An interactive tour of the 

walls is available within the wheelchair 

accessible exhibition space. 

Shop a gift shop is located on site. 

Toilets are available within the castle, a 

disabled access toilet is located at the 

ticket office. 

Picnics may be eaten inside the 

poorhouse and are welcome in the 

grounds. 

LEARNERS GO FREE 

Educational visits are free to English 

Heritage properties and should be 

booked at least 7 days in advance via the: 

Education Booking Team 

English Heritage, 

The Engine House, 

Fire Fly Avenue, 

Swindon, 

SN2 2EH 

T: 0870 333 0606 

E: bookeducation@english-heritage.org.uk 

W: www.english-heritage.org.uk/education 

Please remember that you are 

responsible for completing your own risk 

assessment. Hazard information 

available when booking. 

Limit on party number groups are 

limited to 100 on site (children plus 

teachers and adult helpers). 

Required teacher/adult helper to pupil 

ratio 1:6 for school years 1-3 and 1:15 

for all other groups aged under 18. 

Pupils must be supervised at all times. 

A GUIDE TO RESOURCES: 

The Big Book of Castles is available 

to borrow. It is a non-fiction book 

to help young children understand 

what life was like inside a castle. 

An information booklet is available 

- please contact us if you would 

like a copy. 

A discovery bag is available onsite 

to aid groups exploring the 

grounds outside of the castle. 

A Framlingham Castle guidebook is 

available and can be purchased 

through the English Heritage 

website. Teachers with a valid 

booking permit will receive a 20% 

discount when purchasing 

guidebooks. 

Framlingham Castle, 2009 

English Heritage 

ISBN 979781848 020214 


English Heritage, The Engine House, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon, SN2 2EH. 



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Orford Castle 

LOCATION 

Orford, Woodbridge, Suffolk 

IP12 2ND 

OS Grid Reference TM 42039 49842 

PAGE 2|2 

HOW TO GET THERE 

Bus Country Travel 160 Woodbridge - 

Orford (passes Melton railway station) 

Rail Wickham Market 8 miles. 

FACILITIES 

Parking is not available onsite, coaches 

should park at the quay 1/3 mile away. 

Disabled access at the site is limited. 

Steps are used to access the keep and no 

lift is available. The grassed areas 

surrounding the castle are uneven and 

sloped. 

Shop is very small. If you would rather 

pre-order goody bags please speak to 

the site staff on your planning visit. 

Toilets public toilets are located in the 

village on Market Hill and at the quay car 

park. There are none at the site. 

Picnics are welcome in the grounds. 

LEARNERS GO FREE 

Educational visits are free to English 

Heritage properties and should be 

booked at least 7 days in advance via the: 

Education Booking Team 

English Heritage, 

The Engine House, 

Fire Fly Avenue, 

Swindon, 

SN2 2EH 

T: 0870 333 0606 

E: bookeducation@english-heritage.org.uk 

W:www.english-heritage.org.uk/education 

Please remember that you are 

responsible for completing your own risk 

assessment. Hazard information 

available when booking. 

Limit on party number groups are 

limited to 100 on site, however only 36 

are allowed in the keep at one time 

(children plus teachers and adult 

helpers). 

Required teacher/adult helper to pupil 

ratio 1:6 for school years 1-3 and 1:15 

for all other groups aged under 18. 

Pupils must be supervised at all times. 

A GUIDE TO RESOURCES: 

The Big Book of Castles is available 

to borrow. It is a non-fiction book 

to help young children understand 

what life was like inside a castle. 

An information booklet is available 

- please contact us if you would 

like a copy. 

Two story bags are available on 

site, complete with handling 

collections. 

An Orford Castle guidebook is 

available and can be purchased 

through the English Heritage 

website. Teachers with a valid 

booking permit will receive a 20% 

discount when purchasing 

guidebooks. 

Orford Castle, 2011 

English Heritage 

ISBN 9781850748540 




INFO 


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For more ready to use castle activities try our other free downloadable resources: 

Castles - Attack & Defence: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-attack-and-defence/ 

Castles - Show Down or Show Off?: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-show-down-show-off/ 

Castles - Rough Room Guide: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-rough-room-guide/ 

PAGE 1|4 

PREPARING FOR YOUR VISIT 

We recommend that you take 

advantage of our free planning visit 

scheme to familiarise yourself with the 

site, and to prepare any activities that 

your group may undertake. 

ACTIVITY IDEAS 

These short, informal activities work as 

icebreakers for Key Stage one to three 

visitors to Framlingham Castle and 

Orford Castle. Here you will find 

activity ideas for joint visits to both 

sites, and site specific resources for 

independent visits. 

Visiting sites such as these can be 

daunting, so it may be best to offer the 

students a theme to explore during 

their visit. By taking a thematic 

approach, your students will be able to 

lead independent enquires, self-manage 

their time, develop their team working 

skills and become reflective learners. 

Upon arrival agree a theme or themes 

for your students to explore the castle 

with. For example: 

Life in the castle 

Building methods 

Changing landscapes. 

Your students can then explore the 

sites using recording devices such as 

digital cameras to track their research 

for later use. You might also want to 

encourage your group to set 

themselves goals as part of their theme. 

For example under life in the castle, 

they may want to find out more about 

the servants living on site and the jobs 

that they undertook. 

As part of their investigations students 

should be encouraged to manage their 

own time within a set parameter and to 

work together as a team. 

The following activities build upon each 

of these themes and can be used to 

extend your exploration of both sites. 

JOINT VISIT ACTIVITIES 

Buildings of the past 

Interpreting the curtain walls at Orford 

Castle and the interior buildings at 

Framlingham Castle can be difficult. 

With this in mind, ask your students to 

explore the site using the 

reconstructions in this pack and 

interpretation boards to build up a 

picture of how each castle once looked. 

Set the class some discussion points 

such as: 

What similarities and differences 

can you see between the castles 

now and in Medieval times? 

Did the castles share many similar 

buildings e.g. kitchens? 

Were similar building methods 

used at each castle? 

To extend this activity ask your 

students to make a display of the 

similarities and differences using copies 

of the reconstructions in the this pack 

and photographs they have taken. 




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Roger Bigod and King Henry 

In order to build up a picture of why 

Orford was built, and why Framlingham 

was such a threat, students should find 

out more about the key characters 

involved. 

Using the interpretation at the two 

sites and the information in this pack, 

students should build up a profile of 

Roger Bigod and Henry II. Using this 

information they should hold either an 

online dialogue using a platform such as 

Twitter, or a classroom debate to 

enhance speaking and listening skills. 

Similarities and differences 

In this activity your groups will need to 

find as many similarities and differences 

between the two castles as possible. 

As part of this they will need to 

consider the reconstructions available 

in this pack. You may want to theme 

their investigations under: 

buildings 

resources 

decorations 

uses. 

Can they think why the two castles 

were similar/different? 


ACTIVITIES 

Exploring the exterior 

There is a lot to see at Framlingham 

Castle and a short walk around the 

outside of the walls can improve your 

group’s understanding of the building. 

Ask your students to look out for: 

signs of defence e.g. arrow loops 

signs of prestige e.g. the mere 

signs of life in the castle e.g. 

garderobe chutes. 

As part of this you might also ask them 

to find and photograph alterations that 

have happened at the castle. E.g under 

the current bridge you can see the 

Norman piers that once held the 

drawbridge in place. 

Siege 

In 1216 King John besieged the castle. 

Divide your students in half, with one 

being strategists for King John, and the 

other for Roger Bigod. 

The groups will need to explore the 

interior and exterior of the castle to 

plan their attack/defence. They should 

note down: 

key locations for attack/defence 

the weaponry that they will use 

advantages that their group has 

areas of concern/weakness. 

They may wish to mark these on a copy 

of the site plan (provided in the Images 

section of this pack). 

Back in the classroom, ask your groups 

to present their plans of attack/defence 

on the interactive whiteboard. Finally 

they should discuss: 

Has either group missed an 

opportunity or not considered a 

particular threat/weakness? 

In terms of resources/strength 

who had the advantage? 




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Life on the wall 

Exploring the wall can be difficult in 

large groups as there are few places to 

stop. Instead, investigate the wall in 

small groups. Provide each group with 

a theme to investigate or a question to 

answer. E.g. 

How far can you see from the top 

of the wall and what can you 

spot? 

What signs of defence can they 

see on the wall? E.g. holes for 

archers’ shutters. 

What signs of prestige can they 

see from here? E.g. the deer 

park. 

What would it have been like to 

serve up here, are there toilets/ 

accommodation? 

The poorhouse 

Ask your group to explore the 

poorhouse and the supporting 

exhibitions. 

Inside the poorhouse ask your group to 

find out: 

what the living conditions would 

have been like 

what food the inmates would 

have received 

how the design of the building 

reflects the use of it e.g. the coffin 

chute. 

To extend this activity, ask your group 

to imagine what life in the poorhouse 

would have been like, how might the 

surroundings have affected the inmates? 

This could lead on to creative writing. 

ORFORD CASTLE ACTIVITIES 

Getting to know the site 

When you first enter the castle, your 

students will no doubt be keen to 

explore all of the keep straight away. 

Set your students a thematic 

exploration task which allows them to 

discover the history and scale of the 

keep. For example: 

defence - can they locate three 

key defence mechanisms within 

the castle? 

sanitation - what evidence of 

cleanliness can they find? 

decoration - what type of 

artwork and design can they find 

within the keep? 

Alternatively, set quests, such as ‘find 

the imprisoned knight mannequin’. 

Comfort within the castle 

As a royal castle, the accommodation at 

Orford needed to be fit for a king. Ask 

your group to explore the site, seeking 

out the various bed chambers. You 

may wish to provide them with the site 

plan in the Images section of this pack 

as an aid. 

In each chamber they should look for 

signs of comfort and consider who they 

think might have stayed in each room. 

Clues should include: 

the proximity to a fire for 

warmth 

the location in relation to the 

upper hall 

access to a garderobe. 




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Creative writing 

Introduce your students to the story of 

the merman, as outlined in the 

exhibition in the upper hall. Can they 

think of a scientific explanation as to 

who/what the merman was? 

Your group will then need to explore 

the keep, searching out where the 

merman would have been imprisoned. 

They should consider: 

how he would have felt 

how the guards would have felt 

what it would have been like to 

be imprisoned here. 

Finally, ask the students to write a 

short story or a poem based on the 

merman’s experience, drawing 

particular attention to the keep and the 

conditions of he was kept in. 

Medieval engineers 

In this activity your students will 

consider the engineering techniques 

used by the architect and builders who 

created the castle. 

Explain to your group that they have 

been sent by the king who wants to 

understand the types of techniques 

being used. They will need to create a 

document to record their findings, 

perhaps a table listing the type of device 

and the reasoning behind it. 

Students should be directed towards 

items such as: 

The shape of the interior and 

exterior of the castle. Here, they 

should consider geometry. 

Windows and arches - how are 

they held in place e.g. keystones? 

Devices within the keep such as 

the direction of the spiral 

staircases. 

Scale drawings 

Gather the group outside of the keep 

and divide them into small teams. Each 

group should be provided with graph 

paper. Explain that they are 

going to create a scale drawing of one 

side of the keep. Set the scale for your 

group, e.g. 1cm = 1 metre. 

You should provide each group with 

some basic information and resources, 

such as: 

the highest point of the keep is 

the turret, at 27.2 metres high. 

tape measures 

clinometers. 

The final drawings can be used back in 

the classroom as part of your post-visit 

activities. 

For further activity ideas for either 

castle, visit the Heritage Explorer 

website. 




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ENGLISH HERITAGE TEACHER’S KIT IMAGES 


An aerial view of Framlingham Castle. 

Visit www.heritage-explorer.org.uk for more copyright-cleared images 

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© Skyscan Balloon Photography Source: English Heritage Photo Library 





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A reconstruction of Framlingham Castle in the 13th century. 


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© English Heritage Photo Library 




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A detailed image of the holes which once secured the archers’ protective 

shutters at Framlingham Castle. 


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Examples of the different chimneys visible at Framlingham Castle. 


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An engraving of Framlingham Castle by Buck in 1730. 


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A site plan of Framlingham Castle. 


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An aerial view of Orford Castle. 


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© Skyscan Balloon Photography Source: English Heritage Photo Library 




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A reconstruction of the interior of the keep at Orford Castle. 


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Evidence of sanitation within Orford Castle, including a garderobe, urinal and 

latrine chutes. 


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An engraving of Orford Castle by Buck, 1730. 


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A site plan of Orford Castle. 


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HISTORY Framlingham and Orford Castles

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