Orford Castle

Orford Castle
Orford Castle
Suffolk, England
	The keep of Orford Castle
	Orford Castle
Coordinates	52°05′37″N 1°31′48″E / 52.0936°N 1.5300°E
Grid reference	grid reference TM419498
Type	Keep and bailey
Site information
Owner	English Heritage
Open to; the public	Yes
Condition	Keep remains
Site history
Materials	Caen stone, mudstone, coralline, Northamptonshire limestone

Orford Castle is a castle in Orford in the English county of Suffolk, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Ipswich, with views over Orford Ness. It was built between 1165 and 1173 by Henry II of England to consolidate royal power in the region. The well-preserved keep, described by historian R. Allen Brown as "one of the most remarkable keeps in England", is of a unique design and probably based on Byzantine architecture. The keep stands within the earth-bank remains of the castle's outer fortifications.