What To See And Do When You Stay In Colchester

Colchester is the largest of all the settlements in the County of Essex in England. The town actually claims to be the oldest one in Britain and is definitely the oldest recorded Roman settlement in the country. Because of its history, there are lots of attractions in Colchester, which one can enjoy whilst visiting the town. In this article, we look at just a few which may be worth considering visiting when you visit Colchester.

1.  Balkerne Gate – The most complete Roman gateway in the country and is believed to have been built at around 55AD. It was originally actually the main way that visitors would enter the town but over time was then transformed into a triumphal arch instead. Then after this, it became part of the town’s new walls before it was blocked up some four hundred years later in 465AD to help improve the town’s defence system. The actual gate itself was only uncovered some 100 years ago and this is why it has remained in such good condition that you see today.

2.  Charter Market – The oldest recorded market in the United Kingdom has been run here for more than 800 years now. The market was granted a Royal Charter in 1189 by King John and is where it gets its name from. You can still find a market at Charter Market twice a week, on Fridays and Saturdays and there is a wider than normal variety of goods as the charter prevents more than one stall selling the same item. 

3.  Colchester Castle – Altough “only” dating back to Norman times, this castle was built on the same ground as the Temple to Claudius in Roman times. But, the Roman temple was smashed to pieces in 60 AD as part of Queen Boudica’s campaign to force the Romans to leave Britain. The actual stone that was used by the Normans to build the castle is in fact much of the materials used to build the Roman temple. 

This castle now has one of the oldest and largest of all castle keeps in the whole of Europe and inside the walls of the castle there are lots of things to see and do. The castle houses exhibitions, tracing more than two thousand years of British history and there are displays that one can interact with as well. Whilst touring the castle you can learn more about Matthew Hopkins the Witch finder General who used the castle as a jail at the time of the main witch trials.

4.  Colchester Zoo – This is one of the finest zoos to be found in Europe today and is only a short drive from the town itself. Located in around sixty acres of English countryside the zoo has more than 200 species of animal for you to look at. Naturally, the elephants can be found in Elephant Kingdom, and Chimp World is home to the zoo’s chimpanzees. Plus you will find other parts of the zoo just as enjoyable and enchanting. As with any zoo, you’ll almost certainly find yourself spending lots of time here.

Choose your Colchester hotel or guest house from this list.