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Day Meeting - Orford

Autumn 2006
Report and photo by Jonathan Abson

The day followed the usual pattern of the local society showing us their treasures and from time to time getting us into places not open to the public. Like a lot of other places we saw the church and the museum amongst other things and in Orford’s case the harbour as well. St Bartholomew’s looks not so very different from many another Suffolk church, but outside at the east end (it is always worth walking round the outside first) is the remains of a much bigger building and inside it is sometimes a rehearsal room for Snape Maltings. Some of the museum’s contents are not so very different to many parish museums, but they are housed in the keep of one of Henry II’s castles.

Market Hill, on the way to the Keep

We imagined the harbour, well up river from the sea, might just be a pretty harbour, but true to Orford traditions it had something else as well. The old Atomic Weapons Research Centre buildings on the shingle bank of Orford Ness opposite, dotted with buildings like squat pagodas were used to explore the effect of conventional explosives, including that part of 'the bomb’. Now it is a National Trust site and nature reserve. Nearby is Havergate Island RSPB bird reserve.

Tea, taken in the village hall, was perhaps as good as we remember recently, not that we go for the tea, but once again as we thanked them for another happy day, they reminded us that the shop across the local alleyway had a reputation as one of the best East Anglian fish smokeries. They do things differently in Orford – everywhere seems to have a second and even more delightful purpose.