Atomic Weapons Research Establishment. Orford ... - English Heritage

History
The earliest known human activity on the spit is marked by a hoard of 4 th century Roman
coins (TM 44 NE 1) found to the north of the light house. To the rear of Orford Beach
the marshland was reclaimed during the medieval period and was held by Sudbourne
Hall; the main economic activity was cattle and sheep grazing. Probably by the 19 th
century oyster beds were also developed on the north side of Stony Ditch. Settlement
on the spit was limited to a single small group of buildings to the south of Slaughden
known as Marsh House, it or a predecessor was depicted on a map dated 1736 and
survived into the 1950s (Musson 1993). To warn seafarers of the dangerous shoals
off Orford Ness the first lights were erected in the late 17 th century and are shown at
approximately the position of the current lighthouse on John Kirby’s 1736 map of Suffolk.
These were replaced with brick towers in 1720 and the current lighthouse was built in
1792 (www.trinityhouse.co.uk) (Figure 2). Adjacent to the lighthouse is a wooden Coast
Guard hut that has stood on this site since the 19 th century. To the north at Slaughden
between 1808 and 1812, as part of a series of defences to protect the east coast against
attack by Napoleonic France, a unique quatrefoil Martello Tower was constructed
(Millward 2007, 95-6). It was finally sold by the War Office in 1932 when it became a
private house for a short period until it was requisitioned in 1940 for use as a coastal
watch tower. In the early 1970s it was acquired by the Landmark Trust who restored it
for use as short term holiday accommodation. Another small group of buildings may also
have existed at the landing point opposite to Orford Town Quay (Musson 1993).
Figure 2: Orford Ness lighthouse, 1792. (C) English Heritage DP068423
© ENGLISH HERITAGE
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