2009 Castles of England Orford & Bolsover Castles

Orford Castle

Orford Castle, in the village of Orford, Suffolk was built between 1165 and 1173 by Henry II of England. Only the well-preserved keep stands among the remains of the outer fortifications.

In 1177 Henry the Young King, Henry II’s oldest child rebelled over control of lands allotted to him. He was supported in this by the first Earl of Norfolk which led to Orford Castle being heavily garrisoned. After the rebellion failed Henry took over Framlingham castle. In 1216 Prince Louis of France captured the castle, in 1280 Edward I sold it and its importance was consequently not so great.

Sir Arthur Churchman presented the remains of the castle in 1930 to the Orford Town Trust which passed it to the British government in 1962. It is now maintained by English Heritage who run regular tours of the building.

Bolsover Castle

Bolsover Castle is situated in Bolsover, Derbyshire and built by the Peverl family in the 12th century. Once the third William Peverl had fled into exile it became Crown Property in 1155. After a curtain wall was breached in 1216 during the reign of King John that was left to deteriorate into a ruin. The manor and castle were then purchased by Sir George Talbot in 1553, subsequently sold by Gilbert, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury to Sir Charles Cavendish in 1608 who then rebuilt the castle, a process continued by his son William Cavendish. During the Civil War the castle was captured by the Parliamentarions after which it fell into ruins once more. William Cavendish added a new hall and staterooms and after his death in 1676 it was once more in good order. After 1883 the castle was left uninhabited, then given to the nation by the 7th Duke of Portland in 1945 and is now in the care of English Heritage.