I visited Colchester with my brother and nephew this Christmas and was surprised at how good the castle museum is. I knew Colchester had a lot of history; it was once the capital of Roman Britain, was sacked during Boudicca's revolt and went on to be an important Norman city but I didn't realise just how much history was on show in the castle.
Colchester Castle is a Norman castle in Colchester, Essex, England, dating from the 11th Century A.D. The keep of the castle is mostly intact, although it has lost the top floors (it had at least three storeys) and is the largest example of its kind anywhere in Europe, due to it being built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius.
We paid for the guided tour, which cost a few quid extra and includes a tour of the foundations of the temple of Claudius, well worth the extra. There isn't really any quarryable stone in that area and so the Romans came up with the idea of making the foundations by building two underground arched chambers filled with sand, pretty ingenious, and the Normans built on top of the remains, which hid the Roman foudations until the Middle Ages.
The museum quite small, don't go expecting the British Museum, is very cool and has an amazing collection of Roman era coins and jewellery. It seems that, when the city was sacked, some Romans hid their valuables and the town was razed on top of them. There are also lots of other archaeological remains from other eras.
Here's a link to the museum website, I'm sure the photos are better than mine: Colchester Castle; one of the finest archaeological collections in the country and brilliant for kids. — Seeing the past
I'll post a few photos too. All in all, well worth a visit!
"En cualquier dirección que recorras el alma, nunca tropezarás con sus límites." Sócrates
That looks like a dangerous bit of kit. The soul of plausible denial.
Love it mate, Colchester as you might know his a Garrison town use to be a very busy place, haven't been there for years
I just couldn't resist posting a photo of the Roman flying-penis amulet.
Happily retired, I worked till I was 72, am now 88, this year 2026 I will be 89
you could say I have earnt my crust
@hedgehog Yes, it's a busy little city. Apparently, it's had a barracks since 1794 and is still indeed a garrison town for the 16th Air Assault Brigade Combat Team.
"En cualquier dirección que recorras el alma, nunca tropezarás con sus límites." Sócrates
Looks brilliant -- would love to visit -- if I ever make it back to the UK again one of these days.
One of the most horrible features of war is that all the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.
- George Orwell, Homage To Catalonia
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Ive been there many times. My brother lives in Colchester and served with the 16th Air Assault Brigade and ended up staying in the city.
I saw a military tatoo in Colchester in '68, when my father was stationed at RAF Wethersfield, which closed because of Stansted airport and the 20 TFW was moved to Upper Heyford. The mock battle was cool. The town was lovely. I have very fond memories of spending 4 years in merry ol' England. I also made it to Scotland and Wales.
Not been to that one yet, great write up.
I can highly recommend the museum at Stirling Castle if you haven’t been.
@steve1962 I haven't. I've not been up to Scotland for years now but I'll bear it in mind if I'm up that way. Ta
"En cualquier dirección que recorras el alma, nunca tropezarás con sus límites." Sócrates