Framlingham

As we  both had a day off work today and it was a bright morning, we decided to explore the little country town of Framlingham, about 20 miles north east of Ipswich.   This picture shows Framlingham castle from across the mere.
Framlingham is a traditional market town with a long history stretching back to anglo-saxon times when a castle was first built here.   It now boosts a magnificent curtain walled castle dating form around 1190.    Here in 1553 Mary Tudor descended on Framlingham with an enormous retinue of 13,000 people, was proclaimed Queen and returned to London in triumph.   The town centre is a conservation area with 74 listed buildings.   A market has been held in this town since 1285 and still continues.
The extras are a rare octagonal Victorian post box embossed with the initials VR, for Victoria Regina.   Designed in 1856 by Andrew Hendy of Derby, it is still in use.   Pillar boxes had only been introduced three years before.   By 1857, horizontal openings replaced vertical slots. Also a rare water pump with two spouts.   The upper is for filling water bowsers and the lower for domestic use.   The other extra is the town sign showing the castle, church, post box, water pump, mere and coat of arms.