Framlingham Castle is located in Suffolk, England. A wooden fortress which stood on the site of the current castle was built in the early 1100s, but the stone castle itself was built in the late-1100s in the medieval market town of Framlingham soon after the stone buildings were constructed. In the middle ages, Norfolk and Suffolk were in disagreement so the castle saw conflict then. It was also controlled by the monarch via the Howard family and owned by Queen Mary, who restored the castle back to the Howard family. It would have been a lavish castle with its royal connections, but it is only a shadow of its glory today. In the 17th century, it was sold and housed poor people, becoming a workhouse.
There is not much of the castle left, but visitors can walk the castle's old walls as well as to visit the workhouse, which is now a shop, cafe, interactive museum for children, and a smaller museum that includes some antiquities from more recent times (such as wood-working tools, shoes, old newspapers, and an 1980s Apple computer). Where the walls have collapsed, walkways have been created to join the different parts of the castle.
There is a large lake near the castle, which reflects the castle. The lake would have been five times larger than it is. There also would have been landscaped gardens.
One of the most noticeable features of the castle are the chimneys. The castle has several brick chimneys designed with different brickwork, but only a few of these were genuine and the rest were for show or decoration.
Framlingham Castle is open in the summer months but has reduced opening hours in the winter months. The castle, wall walk, and museum can be done in about an hour with extra time to walk around the outside of the castle.
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