Colchester
- This article is about the town in England. For other towns with the same name, see Colchester (disambiguation).
Colchester lies 54 miles east of London, with fast direct links into the capital via the A12/M25 road network, or just 47 minutes by train into the heart of the city.
Colchester is full of historical interest for every taste in tourism and the following sections help to draw some of this data together.
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2 Medieval Colchester 3 Colchester Earthquake 4 Tourism 5 Colchester Army Garrison 6 University of Essex 7 See also 8 External links |
Roman Colchester
Colchester is the oldest recorded Roman town in England, although it existed as a Celtic settlement before the Roman conquest and there is archaeological evidence of settlement 3,000 years ago. Its Celtic name was "Camulodunon", meaning "the Fortress of Camulos". (Camulos was the Celtic god of war.) This name was modified to the Roman spelling of "Camulodunum" (written "CAMVLODVNVM").
Camulodunum was the capital of the Catuvellauni tribe. King Cunobelinus (or "Cunobelin") (Cymbeline in William Shakespeare's play and "Old King Cole" of the nursery rhyme) was ruler of the Catuvellauni when the Romans invaded Britain in 43.
A Roman legionary fortress was established at Colchester in 43. This was the first permanent legionary fortress to be built in Britain. Later, when the Roman frontier moved north (c. 49), Colchester became a colonia known as Colonia Claudia Victricensis (written "COLONIA CLAVDIA VICTRICENSIS"). Colchester was the first Roman capital of Britain before this was later moved to the more accessible site of London.
A Roman monumental temple was built at Colchester in c. 44 and was dedicated to the Emperor Claudius as The Temple of the Divine Claudius. The temple was completely destroyed during Boudicca's rebellion in 61.
Colchester was the only place in the province of Britannia where samian ware was produced (for a short time). Roman brick making and wine growing also took place in the area. Bricks have been made in Colchester (or in the surrounding area) for around 2,000 years.
Many Roman mosiacs and artefacts have been found in subsequent archaelogical digs in the town and some can be seen at the Colchester Castle museum. The Roman walls still survive (they are the most complete in the country) and they contain the largest surviving Roman gateway in Britain. Many holes have been cut in the walls over the years and the history of the whole town can be seen in its surviving structure. Today, medieval buttresses, shops and steps can still be seen and walked on.
Medieval Colchester
Its main landmark is Colchester Castle, which is an 11th century Norman keep, and built atop the vaults of the old Roman temple. The castle is surrounded by the landscaped Castle Park. The castle is a minute's walk from the high street.
The Benedictine abbey of St. John the Baptist, generally known as "Colchester Abbey" or "St. John's Abbey," had a beautiful late 11th century church until the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the execution of its abbot in 1539. Now all that remains of it is its gate, which is still a tourist attraction on St. John's Green and the small church with a wooden tower (St. Leonard's) which was built for the layworkers on the site.
The Augustinian priory of St. Botolph, generally known as "St. Botolph's Priory", was also established in the 11th century. Today, all that remains of the priory are ruins. This adopted the Augustinian Order in around 1200 and became the mother church of the order in Britain. The present church is Victorian.
In addition, Colchester had eight other medieval (Norman) churches within the walls. These were:
; St. Mary at the Walls
- Built against the Roman Walls, this church was the site on which Protestants were burnt during the reign of Mary I. The largest number of 'heretics' was burnt in Colchester in Britain after London. The tower was used as a gun emplacement during the Civil War by the Royalist army. The tower of the Norman church remains, the rest was built subsequently. It is an arts centre today. The body of the church is Victorian with a Norman tower which was repaired in around 1750 after civil war damage.
- Still survives in its original Norman state. It is currently unused. Its tower was damaged during the Civil War and was never repaired. The key is available from the Colchester Castle museum.
- Only three churches were ever built to St. Runwald in Britain. The one in Colchester was knocked down in the 1860s. It used to stand in the High Street and the graveyard is still beside the Colchester Town Hall, opposite Pizza Express.
- Used to have the highest spire in Colchester but it was knocked down in the 1950s by the church authorities who no longer needed the site.
- Is now used as the Natural History Museum (opposite Colchester Castle).
- The oldest church in Colchester. Parts of the tower could date to 1050 or so (The Saxon period) when an earlier church building existed there. There is a unique pointed Saxon doorway in the West side of the tower. Well worth a visit. It stands right in the middle of the town centre outside the public library like an island of calm. Its graveyard is filled with flowers all through the summer. It is not used and access is impossible at the moment. There is talk of a possible youth cafe.
- Is still used as a church in Colchester. It stands to the East side of the town near the town wall.
- Also still a church with a surviving bell tower. The bells can be heard every Thursday in the town centre. The church is always open through the day and details of its history are available there.
Between 1550 and 1600, a large number of weavers and clothmakers from Flanders emigrated to Colchester and the surrounding areas where they were affectionately referred to as the 'Dutch'. They were famed for the production of Bays and Says cloth. An area in Colchester town centre is still known as the Dutch Quarter and many buildings there date from the Tudor period.
In 1648, Colchester was thrown into the thick of the English Civil War when a large Royalist army (led by Sir Charles Lucas and Sir Lisle) entered the largely parliamentarian town. They were hotly pursued from Kent by a Roundhead army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax who besieged the town for eleven and a half weeks. By that time, many of the town's most ancient monuments like St. Mary's Church and the Gate of St. John's Abbey were partially destroyed and the inhabitants were reduced to eating candles and boots. When the Royalists surrendered in the late summer, Sir Lucas and Lisle were shot in the grounds of Colchester Castle. The spot is marked by an obelisk today and there is a myth that no grass will grow in this area (it has since been covered with tarmac to make sure.)
Colchester Earthquake
At around 9:20 in the morning of April 22, 1884, the Colchester area was at the epicentre of the UK's most destructive earthquake, estimated to have been 5.2 on the Richter Scale, and lasting for about 20 seconds. The quake was felt over much of southern England and into Europe, and over 1,200 buildings were destroyed or damaged.
The Times for Wednesday, April 23 reported heart-rending damage "in the many villages in the neighbourhood from Colchester to the sea coast", with many poor people made homeless, and estimated the financial cost of the quake at 10,000 pounds. Great damage was also reported in Wivenhoe and Ipswich, and buildings destroyed included Langehoe church, and the Rose and Crown Inn at Peldon. The death of a child at Rowhedge was also reported.
A copy of the Report on the East Anglian Earthquake of April 22nd 1884 can be found in the local library.
Tourism
As well as the medieval landmarks above, Colchester's tourist attractions include Colchester Zoo, situated in Stanway and a number of civic and historical museums [1]. The borough is home to the University of Essex and the Colchester United football club.
Colchester is ideally situated for tourists wishing to visit Constable Country in the Dedham Vale. It is also the setting for many of John Grant's Lovejoy novels and is an ideal base for touring the picturesque villages of Lovejoy Country.
Colchester Army Garrison
Colchester has been an important military garrison since Roman times. The Colchester Garrison [1] is currently home to [1] 16 Air Assault Brigade.
Colchester had important barracks during the Napoleonic Wars and during the First World War. Kitchener's Army was trained there. Today, there are considerable plans to build a new and modern barracks out of the town to free up building land in the centre and replace the ageing Victorian buildings. During World War II the town was ringed by over 120 pillboxes or other defensive structures.
University of Essex
Colchester is also regarded by many as a university town. The University of Essex is located on the edge of Colchester, beside Wivenhoe. [1]
See also
External links