Built in the 12th century, Framlingham Castle, hidden behind curtain walls linking 13 towers (which still look much as they would were built), has had an enormously varied history. Its roles have ranged from its time as a fortress to a temporary home for Mary Tudor in 1553 prior to her accession to the throne, from an Elizabethan prison to a poor house and even a school.
Originally a keep-and-bailey castle, Orford was typical of the Norman Conquest, with a walled enclosure and a great tower, which stood as a lordly residence and an independent, defendable strong-point. The building we see today was a royal castle built by Henry II in the 12th century as a coastal defence.
A vast fortified and moated red-brick tower, built in medieval times for Ralph Cromwell, Lord Treasurer of England. The building was rescued from becoming derelict by Lord Curzon 1911-14 and contains four great chambers with enormous Gothic fireplaces, tapestries and brick vaulting.
Tilbury Fort is the finest example of 17th-century military engineering in England. It is largely unaltered even after the latest reconstructions carried out in the 1860s. Designed by Charles II's chief engineer, it was built as a low-lying and largely earthen construction, designed to withstand bombardment at a time when artillery was the dominant weapon. Today, exhibitions, the powder magazine and bunker-like 'casemates' demonstrate how the fort protected the City. You can even fire an anti-aircraft gun.
