HISTORY Framlingham and Orford Castles

ENGLISH HERITAGE TEACHER’S KIT
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.
PAGE 10|10
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
BOOKING AND SITE INFORMATION
T 0870 333 0606 E bookeducation@english-heritage.org.uk
W www.english-heritage.org.uk/onlinebooking
chutes. Walking further a field you will
come across an old quarry area and
views of Orford Ness.
HISTORY
ALSO AVAILABLE
TO DOWNLOAD
INFO
ACTIVITIES
IMAGES