Castle · near Orford · Suffolk

Orford Castle

Orford Castle is a grade I listed historic house museum. Find it 100 m southwest of Orford. Its upkeep is handled by English Heritage.

Photo: Orford Castle, Chris Gunns (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Where

100 m

southwest of Orford

Run by

English Heritage

a national heritage body

Visitors a year

31K

in 2017 (Wikidata)

How well known

Top 3%

#189 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Sep

highs of 19–22°C

In brief

Castle near Orford

One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#189 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (13 Wikipedias). About ↓

Just outside Orford

Orford Castle is 100 m southwest of Orford. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by English Heritage

One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Grade I listed building

On the official list of protected heritage; Orford has 46 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

Seasons and weather

For warmth, aim for June to September (19–22°C highs in Orford).

Jan8° / 3°51 mm

Feb9° / 3°45 mm

Mar11° / 4°41 mm

Apr13° / 5°35 mm

May16° / 8°50 mm

Jun19° / 11°49 mm

Jul22° / 13°55 mm

Aug22° / 13°57 mm

Sep20° / 11°52 mm

Oct16° / 9°65 mm

Nov12° / 6°62 mm

Dec9° / 3°64 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Orford, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Orford. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Orford’s full climate →

About

Orford Castle

In 2017, it drew 31K visitors. It has articles in 13 Wikipedias. Around it, within 15 km, lie 16 more places, Leiston Abbey (14 km) first on our list.

Orford’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Castle
Run by: English Heritage
Listed: Grade I listed building
Visitors: 31K visitors a year (2017)
Wikipedias: Covered in 13 languages
Town: 100 m southwest of Orford
Official site: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/orford-castle

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map

Map of Orford Castle and nearby

The map puts Orford Castle in orange and numbers its neighbours as in the list.

Towns near it

Towns near Orford Castle

Of the 8, Rendlesham is the largest, at 3,185 people. Every one of these towns counts it as a place to visit.

1 · 100 m northeast of it

Orford

593 people · 2 places to visit

2 · 7.2 km southwest of it

Oak Hill

861 people · 1 place to visit

3 · 8 km northwest of it

Tunstall

264 people · 3 places to visit

4 · 8.3 km southwest of it

Hollesley

697 people · 1 place to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Orford Castle is	People	Places to visit
Orford	100 m northeast of it	593	2
Oak Hill	7.2 km southwest of it	861	1
Tunstall	8 km northwest of it	264	3
Hollesley	8.3 km southwest of it	697	1
Aldeburgh	8.3 km northeast of it	2,423	5
Snape	8.8 km north of it	668	4
Rendlesham	8.8 km northwest of it	3,185	2
Sutton Common	10 km west of it	1,262	5

Make a day of it

Pair Orford Castle with these

Nearby, 16 places within 15 km include 5 museums, an abbey or priory and a historic house.

Abbey or priory · English HeritageLeiston Abbey14 km away 2

Historic houseGlemham Hall12 km away 3

MuseumWoodbridge Tide Mill14 km away 4

MuseumParham Airfield Museum14 km away 5

MuseumBentwaters Cold War Museum7.9 km away 6MuseumMuseumOrford Museum100 m away 7Historic siteHistoric site · National TrustSutton Hoo Archeological Site13 km away 8MuseumMuseumSuffolk Punch Trust7.2 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Questions before you go

Where is Orford Castle?

Orford Castle is 100 m southwest of Orford, Suffolk.

What is Orford Castle?

Grade I listed historic house museum in Suffolk Coastal, United Kingdom.

Who runs Orford Castle?

English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

How many people visit Orford Castle?

About 31K visitors a year, in 2017 (the latest count on Wikidata).

When is the best time to visit Orford Castle?

June to September are the warmest months in Orford, with afternoon highs of 19–22°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Orford Castle a listed building?

Yes: Grade I listed building.

What else is there to see near Orford Castle?

Within 15 km: Leiston Abbey (14 km), Glemham Hall (12 km), Woodbridge Tide Mill (14 km) and Parham Airfield Museum (14 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (6)

Orford Castle: Chris Gunns, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leiston Abbey: Dave Briggs, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Glemham Hall: John Goldsmith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Woodbridge Tide Mill: Circuitsight at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Parham Airfield Museum: John Goldsmith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Bentwaters Cold War Museum: Alan Wilson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.