Last week we took Grandson to Framlingham Castle. This was on my list of places that I'd not been to for many years, the list I wrote before the covid thing shut everything down.
We had to book online the day before but went a bit early so we could picnic and meet up with Youngest Daughter and Eldest Granddaughter.
Before meeting we popped into two charity shops where I handily picked up a guide to the castle for 50p instead of the £4 for a new one................not that there was anytime to look at it while actually at the castle as the two grandchildren were on the move all the time.
A late C12 castle built by Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk and home to the
earls and dukes of Norfolk for 400 years. Briefly owned by Mary Tudor,
daughter of Henry VIII in C16. In 1635 it was sold to a rich lawyer Sir
Robert Hitcham and in his will he left it to his old college - Pembroke, Cambridge with instructions for it to be turned into a
poorhouse. The new poorhouse building was erected in 1729 after years of
legal wrangling and lasted there for 110 years. It was then used for a Parish Hall and then Pembroke College Cambridge gave it the the Ministry of Works in 1913. It was handed into the care of English Heritage in 1984.
The first thing we did was to climb up the winding old stairs to walk the walls, giving a good view all around
This building below is the Poorhouse. Inmates were fed and clothed but had to work.
One of the boards around the wall walk
The castle sits on a small natural rise in the landscape - not really a hill or a rocky outcrop but gives a good view of the land around
We found a shady place to sit for a coffee
It was one of the few really sunny and warm days of this summer
A poor photo of the entrance
Looking up at the walls from down in the moat - no water - just a footpath all around the castle
The ropes are holding down some netting covering areas that are being repaired
There's also a small local history museum in one of the rooms but as we had two 5 year olds with us we didn't really get a chance to look properly!
Much more recently it is the subject of Ed Sheerans song "Castle on the Hill"
.
If you want to know more look HERE
beautiful chimneys, no idea why but they really got my attention! If only we could make buildings like this in the modern day.
ReplyDeleteThey are one of the things that make Framlingham a special castle
DeleteI to liked the chimneys reminder me of those at Hampton Court.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting day out and so pleased it stayed dry.
Hazel 🌈🌈
They are copying Hampton Court - a keeping-up-with-the-Royals thing!
DeleteI went there with my two oldest grandchildren about 10 years ago when my son was stationed in Suffolk. From your photos, it appears not much has changed (why should it?), but it was a fun place to go with them, imagining what life was like, especially when we were walking on the ramparts. We enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't change much now, just a few repairs to keep it safe. Walking around the walls is the best bit
DeleteA lovely day out! I'd like to see it myself - thank you for the armchair visit.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Just visiting your blog now as I see it's about books - my favourite subject!
DeleteWhat a lovely day out together. This darned Covid has heightened my appreciation of family, and gathering. After more than a year of complete freedom from Covid, New Zealand has active cases, and what looks like it's going to be a major outbreak. We've all been put into 3 day lockdown - 7 days for Auckland where it was first detected - but that's almost sure to be extended, as it's becoming evident how many, especially young people, have the virus. Big breath, shoulders back, we can do this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing us Framlingham castle, it's not one we've visited. Like others, I do enjoy the intricate brickwork on those chimneys. They must have been such skilled artisans.
I visited Framlingham in 1986. I enjoyed your photos which stirred faint memories, but my greatest memory is that I sat down by a little pond outside the castle and somehow left my wallet containing my passport, credit card and $$ there. As I was on a coach trip from Cambridge, I didn't miss it! A lovely family found it and turned it in to the police. The police took their time about mailing it to me at Cambridge, but it just got there in time for me to return home...I had some correspondence with the lovely family and am still grateful to them.
ReplyDelete