Villages by the Sea - Orford

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Villages by the Sea: Series 3: Orford

Orford

BBC One - Villages by the Sea, Series 3, Orford

Archaeologist Ben Robinson unearths Orford’s history of defending the British Isles.

Archaeologist Ben Robinson unearths the Suffolk village of Orford’s history of defending the British Isles.

Lying off the North Sea is the unassuming Suffolk village of Orford. It’s behind a large shingle spit called Orford Ness. But as archaeologist Ben Robinson unearths, it’s been at the forefront of defending the British Isles for over 800 years. 

Today, its imposing castle built by Henry II is being conserved by English Heritage. Curator Dr Shelley Garland explains the process to Ben and how they’ve devised the best way to preserve its crumbling stonework. 

The village also has its fair share of myths and legends. One of them involves the local pub, where it is rumoured smugglers used to share out their booty. Ben meets the current landlord, Ian Ballantine, who shares some of the tricks the smugglers would use to avoid getting caught red-handed. 

The remoteness of the shingle spit also caught the attention of the Ministry of Defence, who for over 70 years used the Ness as a top-secret weapons and ammunitions testing site.

Villages by the Sea: Series 3

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How the past has shaped some of our best-loved
coastal village communities.

Series looking at how the past has shaped some of our best-loved coastal village communities.

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