Orford
| Orford | |
| Suffolk | |
|---|---|
 Church of St Bartholomew, Orford | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TM422499 |
| Location: | 52°5’42"N, 1°32’4"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 690 (2001) |
| Post town: | Woodbridge |
| Postcode: | IP12 |
| Dialling code: | 01394 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | East Suffolk |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Suffolk Coastal |
Orford is a small town in Suffolk, by the coast and separated from the open sea by the River Ore and Orford Ness. The town is within the "Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding natural Beauty".
Like many Suffolk coastal towns, Orford was of some importance as a port and fishing village in the Middle Ages. It still has a fine mediæval castle, built to dominate the River Ore.
The main geographical feature of the area is Orford Ness, a long, wide shingle spit at the mouth of the Ore, which has grown up over the centuries, carrying the course of the river with it parallel to the coast until the waters can burst out into the North Sea.
Orford Ness has in the past been used as an airstrip testing facility and in the early 1970s it was the site of a powerful radar station as part of the Cold War defences against low flying attacking aircraft; today it is a nature reserve run by the National Trust.
Orford provides the only point of access to the nature reserves of Orford Ness and Havergate Island. Both sites can only be accessed via ferry boat from Orford quay. The Orford Ness ferry runs on selected days between April and October[1] and the Havergate Island ferry on selected Saturdays.[2]
Orford now mainly exists on tourism and as a weekend and holiday home. It has grown significantly in the last 20 years with an increasing new build to accommodate second home-owners; its population greatly increases during the summer months due to its flourishing sailing club. As well as the Castle, Orford's attractions include river cruises, a number of pubs and hotels, a traditional post office which sells fresh bread, a smokehouse, and two restaurants; the Butley-Orford Oysterage and the Crown and Castle Hotel.
See also
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Orford) |
- Photographs and more details about Orford
- A Fishy Tale of Orford
- The Wild Man of Orford - An animated version of the 12th Century myth
- "My Orford" by Charlie Underwood MBE - An interesting insight into village life in Orford
References
- ↑ "Orford Ness National Nature Reserve". National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-orfordness.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
- ↑ "Havergate Island - How to get here". The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/h/havergate/directions.aspx. Retrieved 2010-04-26.