Framlingham Castle Womens Fashion in the 1100s

Framlingham Castle is a beautiful, largely intact Medieval castle, which y'all can find in Suffolk, Eastern England.

I visited the castle in early 2014 – I was lucky enough to pick a sunny Wintertime's twenty-four hours.

The majority of Framlingham was built in most 1190. Today, the castle consists of 13 proud rock towers, which are connected by a mighty ring of 'curtain wall', which forms a rough circle.

The chief attraction of the castle today is the dramatic 'wall walk'. You can walk round the entire excursion of outer walls, crossing each of the thirteen towers.

Each point of the wall walk boasts amazing views across the Suffolk countryside. It's a really impressive experience, and I loved it.

Although there's lots to meet from the top of the castle walls, nowadays, in that location isn't much to come across within of them. Well-nigh of the internal Medieval buildings have since disappeared, afterwards they cruel into disrepair.

Framlingham Castle Across Mere — Spectacular Framlingham Castle, viewed from across the adjacent mere.

There is one remaining hall – which is the present twenty-four hour period museum, and used to be a Poor House. It was congenital in 1729 for the down-at-heel.

Side by side to Framlingham Castle, you'll discover the dramatic Castle Mere. The mere is a deep lake and wetland – and the expanse of h2o is about three,000 years old.

The boggy mere and mirror-like lake course a cute contrast to the castle, and provide a perfect setting for reflective photographs of this astonishing fortress.

Here are my favourite stories and experiences from my visit to Framlingham Castle, which span 900 years of history of this amazing place.

A Castle Built in 1190, In One of the Wealthiest Spots of England

Framlingham Castle is located in Suffolk, in East Anglia. Suffolk is a pretty county of gently rolling fertile plains.

These lands have always been of import for agriculture – especially in the production of wool.

In addition to practiced lands, Suffolk is fortuitously placed close to London (in present day terms, it's a couple of hours of driving from the city – or about a mean solar day or two of riding, back in the Medieval period). Suffolk is too relatively well-linked via sea-routes to France and the European Mainland.

Looking onto Framlingham Castle from across the surrounding mere.

All these factors helped to mark the settlement of Framlingham equally a particularly wealthy surface area. From the 1100s onwards, it was possessed by some of the nearly auspicious landowners in England.

The first wooden buildings were built here in the early 1100s. But the bulk of the flint-walled castle which you can see today was formed in about 1190, past Roger Bigod Two, a wealthy local noble.

Defensive Might: Thirteen Tall Towers and 1 Mighty Curtain Wall

Framlingham Castle was made out of local flint, and about construction took place during the belatedly c12th.

The castle is shaped like a rough circle, consisting of a thick outer curtain wall which wraps around thirteen alpine towers.

Only one element juts out from the ring of walls – the Western Tower (equally pictured below), which protected the Postern Gateway into the castle.

In later years, the basement of the Western Tower was likely turned into a prison.

Framlingham Castle Western Tower — This is the Western Tower of Framlingham Castle – the but element which protrudes from the band of walls.

Different many other Medieval castles, Framlingham Castle doesn't have a cardinal stronghold (a tower called a 'Go along').

Instead, if the castle had have been attacked in Medieval times, it would have depended on the strength of the 13 towers and the curtain wall to go along any intruders out.

As yous walk effectually the curtain walls today, you tin can capeesh the amazing view of the Suffolk countryside – and this view would have enabled you to spot whatever attackers approaching from miles abroad.

Framlingham Castle View — The amazing view from the wall-walk around the castle.

Additionally, even before an attacker reached the castle, they would accept to navigate the adjacent mere (the lake and surrounding boggy marshland).

Surrounding the castle, there was a deep ditch, also. The remains of this can be seen today and, although it was never filled with water (significant that Framlingham Castle never boasted a moat), it would have hindered whatever assaulter who tried to approach, or dig under, the outer walls.

There's an fifty-fifty more cunning fox built into the castle, likewise.

Although it's possible to walk along the top of the castle walls today (the 'wall walk'), the rock pathway runs out at certain points – and you must cantankerous some of the towers using a wooden bridge.

In Medieval times, this was a stroke of military genius.

Framlingham Castle Wall Walk — Yous tin can encounter that a wooden span spans a gap in the stone wall-walk. This wooden bridge could be kicked away, leaving an attacker stuck upon the high castle walls.

If an attacker had entered Framlingham Castle and had ascended onto the 'wall walk', those defendants protecting the castle could lure them around the stone pathway until they reached a bespeak between two wooden bridges.

The defendant could so intentionally knock the bridges to the floor, leaving the attacker trapped high up on the castle walls with no means of descent.

I guess they could then be finished off by a talented archer. It was a cunning trap.

The Remains of One time Grand Rooms – and Corrupt Ruby-red Brick Chimneys

During Medieval times, enclosed within the walls of the castle, visitors would have discovered the magnificent Not bad Hall, used for banquets and entertaining. The Poor House, which is visible today, was built in 1729 upon the remains of the Great Hall.

Framlingham Castle Poor House — The c18th Poor House, pictured, was built inside the walls of Framlingham Castle on the foundations of the Medieval Peachy Hall.

Back in Medieval times – in, the say, 1300s – in that location would also take been many other buildings, too – including a kitchen and stables. These were all were extended and aggrandised during Tudor times – we tin suppose that a brick curtilage, alongside some corrupt bedrooms, were added to the castle.

Despite such by grandeur, virtually all the buildings which once nestled inside the castle walls have been destroyed.

Yous are now but able to meet alcoves and holes within the curtain wall which would once have been fireplaces or windows inside these buildings, which backed onto the outer wall of the castle.

One interesting Tudor add-on nonetheless survives, all the same. Delicate blood-red brick chimneys were built on top of many of the castle towers during the c16th – 'crowning' the castle, if you lot like.

Framlingham Castle Chimneys — The cherry-brick Tudor chimneys which crown Framlingham Castle.

These handsome brick chimneys were built co-ordinate to dissimilar styles and designs, and, if you expect closely, each has a subtly unlike blueprint.

Intriguingly, none of these chimneys functioned as a flue for smoke or fumes. They were all purely decorative. The chimneys were probably inspired by the grand architecture of Hampton Court Palace, and were added to give the castle a more prestigious appearance.

Framlingham's Moment of Fame: The Proclamation of Mary, Queen of England

Framlingham Castle was the setting for a crucial moment in English history: the crowning of Mary Tudor every bit the first Queen of England in July 1553.

Mary's crowning was the cumulation of a dramatic tale of hunt, risk, and subterfuge.

When sickly Rex Edward Half dozen died early on in 1553, there was a question as to who would become the adjacent monarch of England.

Some of Edward'due south old courtiers – including the ambitious Dudley family – tried to position a young girl, Lady Jane Gray, to be the Queen of England. Lady Jane had a vague claim to the throne – merely was favoured by some nobles due to her Protestant religion (and malleable personality).

Queen Mary and Framlingham Castle — Plaque explaining Queen Mary'southward connections to Framlingham Castle.

Mary Tudor, the Cosmic brother of Edward I, had a much stronger claim to go Queen. However, Lady Jane was forced onto the throne immediately after Edward'due south death, before Mary could reach London to stake her authority.

Resultantly, the Dudley family sent out search parties to capture and imprison Mary, who they claimed to be an impostor who wished to usurp their rightful Queen of England.

Mary fled to the town of Ipswich and and then to her sanctuary – Framlingham Castle, which had been passed to the Tudor dynasty.

She holed herself upward in the castle and strengthened her troops and support.

Remarkably, the people of England decisively turned to support Mary Tudor. As the sis of the sometime King, the people saw her as their rightful ruler – despite her Catholic inclination.

Whilst Mary was safely nestled in the castle, vast groups of countrymen gathered outside the walls, expressing their support for the Queen.

This popular insurgence spread all the way to the outskirts of London.

Mary was emboldened past the pop support, and the Dudleys – who had plotted against her – saw their game was upward. They rescinded their merits that Lady Jane was the Queen of England, and Queen Mary was proclaimed Queen of England on July 19th 1553, within Framlingham Castle.

If you've enjoyed reading nearly my trip to Framlingham, I think you'll also like reading almost my trip to Tamworth Castle – another fantastic castle in England.