Charming Colchester
Colchester City Guide
Jake Davies
Located about 50 miles from London, the small city of Colchester lays claim to being the oldest town in Britain.
A market town for much of its rich history, now it is somewhat of a culture centre for Essex.
Colchester History
Camulodunon, the oldest name for what is Colchester, appears on coins from the last decades BC and the name was recorded by the Roman author Pliny the Elder, which makes it the oldest town in historical record.
Following the invasion of Britain, the Romans established their first fort here and it later became the capital of Roman Britain. It was destroyed by Queen Boudica in AD60, but was quickly rebuilt, larger and stronger.
Remains of the Roman past can be found at many sites around Colchester and include the largest remaining Roman gateway in Britain, and ruins of the only chariot racing circus on the island.
A good place to begin exploring Roman Colchester is at the town's primary landmark, Colchester Castle. Built more than a millennia after the Roman settlement of Colchester, the Norman keep, the largest in all Europe, was built upon the foundations of a big Roman temple, some of which can still be seen.
However the inside of the castle is a huge history museum with many of the displays devoted to the Roman history of the area. There are also daily tours down into the Roman vaults and up on to the roof.
The Castle Park is always open and the museum is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is ten pounds for adults.
The Norman legacy extends far beyond just the castle, however.
Many of the churches in the parish were built in the 11th and 12th centuries, as well as some much larger religious institutions.
The gate house of St. John's Abbey, built in 1096, still stands and the extensive ruins of St. Botolph's Priory, the first Augustinian establishment in Britain, built around 1100, can be explored in a pleasant park.
Many of its buildings were destroyed in the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, but the massive church remained standing until the Siege of Colchester in 1648, part of the Second Civil War.
Government forces bombarded the town that was held by Royalists and reduced St. Botolph's to its current state. It is believed that the famous nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty is about this battle.
The town contains many fine buildings from all the periods of British history up to and including the Victorian Town Hall.
Colchester Attractions
Today the town has the reputation as somewhat of a theater town with a wide range of theatrical performances at the modern Mercury Theater as well as at Lakeside Theater, Charter Hall, Headgate Theater and the Colchester Arts Centre.
For the visual arts there are several galleries in the town but the most prominent is Firstsite.
In a modern, striking, curved building designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly, it opened in 2011 to more than a little controversy.
As well as major exhibitions of art that change regularly, the center also boasts artists studios and spaces for events and classes
It also has a cafe that doubles as a bar in the evening. On permanent display in the floor of the building is the Berryfield Roman Mosaic from 200AD. Open from 9 am to 9 pm everyday with the gallery open from 10 am to 5 pm. Entry is free.
The Hollytrees Museum is also worth a visit. Spread over three floors of the 300 year old former home of Charles Gray, the displays cover the social history of every day residents of Colchester in recent history.
The exhibitions do change and include a lot of toys, costumes, and art as well as other everyday objects. It is also home to a big collection of 200 clocks of all kinds made in Colchester.
Located adjacent to the castle, it is open from 10 to 5 and closed on Sundays. Entry is again free.
There are several gardens open to the public as well as numerous parks and the popular Colchester Zoo.
For an unusual tour it is possible to visit the MV Ross Revenge, the home of the most famous pirate radio station and star of 2009 comedy film "The Boat That Rocked".
Holy Trinity Church is the oldest church building still remaining in the town. The square Saxon tower is believed to have been built in 1020, though there was probably a church on the site before that. Noticeable in the walls are the Roman bricks interspersed in the stones, an early example of recycling! Also worth noting is a small doorway in the tower that has a triangular arch above it. This was typical Saxon design for windows, but unusual for doorways.
Colchester Shopping
Colchester has several shopping centres. These include Lion Walk Shopping Centre, Culver Square Shopping Centre, Turner Rise Retail Park and Colchester Retail Park.
Colchester Restaurants
When it comes to dining out, visitors can expect plenty of variety in Colchester. There are eateries specializing in traditional fish and chips as well as Chinese, Greek, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese options.
Around Colchester
For those visitors staying in Colchester longer than a few days, there are a number of interesting places to visit within easy reach of the city.
Within easy reach are the towns of Chelmsford and Ipswich. The once proud Victorian resort town of Clacton-on-Sea is on the coast to the south east. Brightlingsea is another pleasant seaside resort.
The port of Harwich has ferries to the Hook of Holland. Nearby Felixstowe has sailings to Rotterdam in the Netherlands and is also a large container port.
Access - Getting to Colchester
Greater Anglia have regular trains to Colchester direct from Liverpool Street Station to Colchester. Journey times for the fastest trains is around 45 minutes.
National Express has frequent coach services from Stansted Airport to Colchester bus station and the University of Essex (Colchester).
By car from London follow the M25 motorway and then the A12.
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