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Colchester
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This weeks feature
Colchester - steeped in history.
Colchester Borough Arms. A green cross representing the True Cross which legend says was found by St Helena, Patron Saint of Colchester. The cross is pierced by 3 nails each with a crown surrounding it to depict the 3 Wise Men or Kings. The red background represents the blood of Christ. The Arms first appeared in 1413 on a charter granted to Colchester borough by King Henry V. |
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The Temple of Claudius. |
Evidence of settlement at Colchester dates back to 2200BC, but the history of Britain’s oldest recorded town really began around 25BC when, as Camulodunum, it was the centre of the powerful Trinavatires tribe under Cunobelin – the model for Shakespeare’s Cymbelline. When the Romans invaded in 43, they defeated Cunobelin’s son Caractacus, established a fort at Camulodunum and began building a huge temple to the Emperor Claudius. |
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Sacked during Boudica’s rebellion 25 years later, when 30,000 Roman settlers were slaughered, superseded in importance soon after by Londinium, and abandoned after the Roman withdrawal around 410, Camulodunum barely remained in existence until the Norman Conquest, when its strategic importance led to the construction of the castle in 1079. Built on the foundations of Claudius’s temple, it was the largest Norman castle ever built in Britain. |
Built on the foundations of The Temple of Claudius. |
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St. Botolph's Priory. |
From outside, it is now hard to recognise the castle’s Norman origins. After falling into disrepair, it was partly dismantled in the 17th century and the stone sold to local builders. When local MP Charles Gray acquired it in 1726, he began to restore and alter it, adding a low-sloping, red-tiled roof and a domed tower. It now looks more like a Mediterranean abbey than an austere Norman stronghold. |
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Inside is an excellent museum which tells the story of settlement in the area from the Stone Age to the Civil War, when it suffered a three-month siege. There are excellent audio-visuals, and lots of hands-on activities for children.
The surrounding Castle Park is well laid out, and includes sections of the Roman wall. The most impressive remnant of the Roman era, however, is the Balkerne gate, the largest remains of a Roman gate in Britain. The ruins are overlooked by a huge disused Victorian water tower, known affectionately as Jumbo. |
Town Hall. |
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East Hill. |
A walk around Colchester will uncover fine buildings, from the 12th-century remains of St Botolph’s Priory, to the half-timbered houses and riverside mills at the bottom of East Hill, and the ornate Victorian town hall. On the edge of town is the award-winning Colchester Zoo, one of Britain’s best, and requiring a whole day to enjoy to the full. |
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