Orford Castle, Suffolk

Orford Castle - The remaining polygonal Keep Standing on the Suffolk coast, Orford Castle built by King Henry II in the mid to late 12th century was positioned to ward off the threat of coastal invasions. When completed, Orford Castle consisted of a curtain wall with a number of flanking towers, and a twin-towered gatehouse surrounding a polygonal Keep (or great tower). A large ditch around the outside of the curtain wall provided further protection. However, the curtain wall, gatehouse and towers have all decayed through neglect and nothing of them survives today.

Still standing, alone but impressively intact, is the Great Tower of the original Royal castle. This construction resembles no other in Britain or Ireland, with its basic plan of a circular tower incorporating three great turrets rising to some 90ft (27.2m) high spaced equidistantly around it. Looking more closely at the structure, there are actually twenty-one sides making up the exterior of the Keep.

Larger than the other two, the south east turret houses the entrance to the castle via the forebuilding, which is built to approximately half the height of the tower itself. Above the doorway to a small lobby, a lovely triangular Norman arch can still be seen, and beyond the lobby the rounded arches surrounding the main castle entrance.

Inside the Keep's thick stone walls, it is still apparent that this was designed to be a fortified family residence, with spiral stairs inside each of the towers leading to a maze of rooms and passageways. The basement, most likely used as a storeroom, contains a well at the centre. At the first level is a wedge-shaped chapel and, to the left of the doorway, a narrow gap at the edge of the floor shows this was used as a portcullis slot. In all, the Great Tower is five storeys high; the first and second floors spanning two levels, above this the roof has battlemented parapets located between the three turrets that then rise above roof level. A strangely, fascinating castle keep set among its former defence mounds and looking very much out of place today alongside a busy road.