The ruins of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Thetford are the only remains of this order in the country. During the medieval period there were six such houses in the country. The priory, followed an order with origins in Jerusalem whose purpose was to aid pilgrims who wished to visit the tomb of Christ.
The priory was founded in 1148 by William de Warenne, who also founded the Cluniac community at Castle Acre.
The community at Thetford was never very wealthy and at it's height was home to just eight canons.
The community fell victim to the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 at which time it was converted and used a barn, evidence of which can still be seen today in the form of a bricked up door way set in the south wall.
The priory site now
Very little is left of the complex today apart from the walls of the nave some of which are almost at roof height. The rest of the complex was demolished. The ruins are grade 1 listed.
My feelings
As I wandered around this small site I got a pleasant feeling of how this once small community felt how they were doing the work of God through providing assistance to pilgrims. From what is left of the complex it is also easy to see how this was never a very wealthy monastery as the over size of the building is very small yet this did not deter from the work they conducted.
Information on this page has been adapted from information available at www.english-heritage.org.uk
I have visited the priory at Thetford once before back in September 2013 and have made an entry about it which you can read here.
During my initial visit I noticed a small gate to one side of the site near to the nave of the priory buildings. The gate which was padlocked shut, was set into a low wire fence and had a little signed saying 'This way to the gatehouse' painted on it. I wanted to investigate on my first visit but as mentioned above it was unfortunately locked shut.
However during my second visit a couple of weeks ago I found the gate to be unlocked. This time I noticed a second sign informing me that the pathway was open to visitors to the gatehouse, but no exit from the site could be made this way. I noticed as I walked along the path that I was in fact walking through the front garden of 'Abbey House' which is a private residence. I was greeted by a dog and a gentleman who said hello and not to worry about the dog, she is very friendly really. I thanked him and said hello in return. He went on about his business in his garden.
I approached the gatehouse and was pleased that I had plucked up the courage to walk through, even though I had permission to be there I felt as though I was being intrusive.
The gatehouse today is a grade 1 listed ruin and is still fairly intact yet is missing some of its features such as inner walls, floors and roof. It is clear to see from the flint work and stone dressings that this gatehouse was a grand building and would have provided a impressive entrance to visitors and impressive sight to those who lived in the town. The upper levels of which the gatehouse had two, were used to receive rents. These floors were accessible using the staircase located in one of the buttresses. Evidence of the stairs is visible even though the stairs have seen eroded away.
While most of the priory precinct wall has disappeared or been demolished some still remains and evidence of a barn can be seen on the outside of the gatehouse in the form of a V which formed the joint with the barn roof.
I would recommend a visit to the priory and to the gatehouse as even though the gatehouse is mainly a shell now it is still an impressive sight to behold and will have you in awe over how the medieval craftsman ship created a lasting building almost 800 years on.
Background information and reading credited to English Heritage available at www.english-heritage.org.uk
So here we see Ordford Castle on the Suffolk coast. Built by Henry II in the early 12th Century, around 1165 as a way to reassert royal authority and dominance across East Anglian. Up until this time the only royal fortress in the region would have been the castle at Norwich.
During his reign, Henry faced many uprisings with the barons of East Anglian rebelling especially Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. Even though he had confiscated Hugh Bigod's castles at Framlingham and Bungay,
Orford was ideally situated to control the local barons but also to counter the threat presented by the Flemish mercenaries hired by Hugh Bigod to do his fighting for him.
Due to Henry II being someone who ekpt detailled records we know that Orford Castle cost £1413 to build, out of the yearly royal income of £10 000.
We know that the castle was attacked and put under seige at several points throughtout it's history. We know from records that King Louis of France captured the castle in 1216 whilst in battle against King John. We also know the descendents of Hugh Bigod captured the castle twice however never held it for long.
As we as being a fortress it was a royal palace, with many state of the art features such as en-suite facilities in the form of a personal urinal along with latrines or toilets that flushed to the exterior of the castle. We believe that tapestries hung on the walls and mats of rushes would have been placed on the floor.
By looking at the overall design of the castle we assume that there were two great halls over two levels, and that they may have been used as a hall for public functions and the other for private functions. Within the turrets leading off the halls you will find the private apartments, kitchen and chapel. At the very bottom of the castle,down the grand staircase into the mound it sits upon we find the basement. The basement is complete with a 45ft deep well in the very centre of the room, which could be used to draw up salty water. The basement was also used to store vast quantities of food. This was vital if the castle was beseiged at any point.
When I arrived at the site, I was in awe and wonder at such a magnificent castle, the keep is well preserved and dominates the landscape around it. At first I experience a very strange feeling, as though I was being watched. The day was very windy and there was a slight chill. However I felt very safe and protected whilst inside the castle building itself. Even though the castle sits just outside the village of Orford, you could easily think that you were isolated from civilisation within the castle. One side of castle borders that of the former habour and Ness of Orford and the other borders village. Regardless of the feelings I experienced Orford Castle is extremely impressive, and well worth a visit. I wished that I lived within the castle myself.
