Framlingham Castle

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Framlingham Castle makes a pleasant afternoon for young and old alike.  There is much to see, spectacular views, and of course a gift shop.  Take the walk around the famous curtain wall and feel 900 years worth of history under your feet!  Activity books are available for children and all visitors can take the interactive audio tour.

 Framlingham is a twelfth century castle consisting of a continuous curtain wall linking thirteen massive towers.  There would have been something defensive on the castle's site since the sixth century but the first definite record is that the castle was given to Roger Bigod by Henry I in 1100.  There would have been a small mound with an outer bailey protected by a palisade and ditch on three sides and by an artificial, or natural, mere on the fourth.

 The defences were probably later reconstructed in stone by Hugh, the first Earl of Norfolk and Roger Bigod's second son, but dismantled by order of Henry II in 1175-77 following the civil disturbances of King Stephen's reign (1135-54).  About 1190 the present curtain wall was constructed by another Roger Bigod (Hugh's son), the second Earl of Norfolk, possibly enclosing earlier domestic buildings.  The thirteen mighty towers could be self-contained making it unnecessary to have a central keep.  The present gateway is probably on the site of the main entrance to Roger Bigod's inner bailey ... read on

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