| Colchester | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms  | ||
| State | UK | |
|---|---|---|
| Federated state | England | |
| Region | Essex | |
| Territory | Colchester District | |
| Inhabitants | 104.390 (2001) | |
| Prefix tel | 44 01206 | |
| POSTAL CODE | CO1 - CO7 | |
| Time zone | UTC | |
Position
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| Tourism site | ||
| Institutional website | ||
Colchester is a city ofEngland.
To know
Geographical notes
Colchester is a city located in the county ofEssex, east of London. It stands on the River Colne.
Background
Colchester is a quaint provincial town commonly referred to as the oldest city of which mention is made in Great Britain, based on the reference to it made by Pliny the Elder, although the Celtic name of the city, Camulodunon, appears on coins minted between 20 BC. and 10 BC.
Originally the capital of the Celtic tribe of the Trinovanti, it was conquered by the army of Emperor Claudius in 43 AD. and became the first major Roman settlement in British territory. Subsequently, when the Roman border crossed the area, the army was moved to the west (about 49 BC), Camulodunum, Latinization of the Celtic toponym Camulodunon, became a Roman colony and a sumptuous temple dedicated to the Divine Claudius and two theaters were built.
In 61 A.D. Boudicca, queen of the British tribe of the Iceni, eager for revenge against the Romans, attacked the fortress of Camulodunum, razing it to the ground. The city was then replaced, in its function as the capital of Britain, by the not far away Londinium, today's city of London.
After the fall of the Roman Empire the city passed under the dominion of the Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings, the Normans and was the seat of the Realists during the English Civil War.
The main attractions of the city are the Norman castle founded by William the Conqueror where the Roman temple dedicated to Divo Claudio stood. Similarities can be found with the Tower of London, built in the same period.
The city also boasts of Roman walls, Saxon and Norman churches, Victorian homes and the oldest Victorian-era water tower in the Great Britain, call in town Jumbo.
How to orient yourself
Colchester: full screen map.How to get
By plane
The nearest airports are those of London, especially that of Stansed less than an hour away by bus and car.
On the train
Colchester is served by 5 train stations:
- 1 Colchester Station (known by the locals and written on bus timetables as North Station) (1 mile north of the city. To get to the city center take the buses 61 is 62 to the right of the north exit on High street. Other buses depart from North Station Rd.). Main railway hub of the city, it has around 5 trains per hour for London Liverpool St which take anywhere from 50 minutes to an hour and for Norwich (50 miles in about 50 minutes with some intermediate stops). Other trains depart from Colchester for Lowestoft, Peterborough and local trains for Ipswich, Colchester Town, Harwich, Clacton-on-sea is Walton-on-the-Naze. There are no trains for Cambridge: it is necessary to change a Ipswich. The station has recently been refurbished and has two entrances: the northern one has a ticket office, a taxi platform, an ATM (denacoro withdrawal with ATMs and international circuits), a long-term parking and a bus station. The South Station is smaller and has bicycle parking and a ticket machine. To enter the stations it is necessary to have a ticket as barriers have been installed (obviously if you want to go to the ticket office this is not necessary).
- 2 Colchester Town Station, St. Botolphs road junction. From the station there is a shuttle service (train-shuttle) every 30 minutes for the north station and every hour for Walton-on-the-Naze.
- Hythe, in the homonymous subborgo (Close to the Tesco superstore and theUniversity of Essex). Trains leave every hour from the station Walton and with less regularity for Clacton is London (the service intensifies during peak hours). Avoid the station at night because it is isolated.
- Wivenhoe, in the suburb / town of Wivenhoe (this station is also close to theUniversity of Essex). Trains to London is Clacton hourly and local trains for Walton.
- Marks Tey, in the homonymous village. is located on the line for Sudbury and has regular connections with London, Clacton is Ipswich, Peterborough is Sudbury.
By bus
The national express company with bus line 255 connects Colchester with London's Stansted and Heathrow airports every two hours.
How to get around
The city center can be explored on foot, but you need to take a bus to get to the north station or other places further away.
By public transport
Colchester has a public transport network operated by the First Group. The map of the public transport network is available here [1] (the lines that continue beyond the city limits are absent).
By taxi
There are platforms at both the North station and the city center station where you can wait for taxis.
What see
- 1 City walls (the coordinates refer to the point mentioned below). Pieces of Roman walls can be found throughout the historic center, but the best place to observe them is near the Mercury Theater where in Roman times the Balkerne Gate: gateway to the city built in 49 AD consisting of two main arches - entrance for horses and chariots - and two side arches - entrance for pedestrians. Today only a lateral arch remains of the original structure.
- 2 Jumbo Water Tower. In the second half of 1800 Colchester did not have an aqueduct that could bring running water to all houses 24 hours a day, so between 1880 and 1883 this tower was built, the highest water tower still existing Victorian era. The name derives from that of the elephant in the London Zoo (the tower works a bit like an elephant's trunk).
- 3 Norman castle, Castle Park, ☎ 44 1206 282939, @[email protected].
adults: £ 7.50, children (4-16): £ 4.75. Recently renovated, inside there is a museum with works that retrace more than 2000 years of English and international art history. The castle, from the Norman period, stands on a Roman temple. - 4 Castle Park, High Street, ☎ 44 1206 282962, @[email protected]. Crossed by the River Colne, numerous events such as cricket matches, music festivals and fireworks displays are organized in the Colchester Castle grounds (November). The floral gardens are also beautiful, such as the Imola Garden (so called to celebrate the twinning of the city with Imola)
- 5 Colchester Zoo. Adults: £ 19.99, children (3-14): 13.99 By booking online, you avoid queues at the ticket office and prices are slightly cheaper (-5%).
9.30-18.00. - 6 First site, Lewis Gardens, High Street, ☎ 44 01206 577 067, @[email protected]. free entry. Open from 10am to 5pm. modern art museum.
- 7 Colchester Town Hall, High Street, ☎ 44 01206 282230. Also called Moot Hall, was built for the first time in 1160. The current building dates back to 1844 on a design by John Belcher in the Baroque style.
- 8 natural History Museum, High Street (opposite Castle Park), ☎ 44 01206 282941, @[email protected]. free. Tue-Sat: 10 am-5pm, Sun 11 am-5pm. In the ancient church of all saints (All Saints Church), the museum traces the history of the fauna and flora of theEssex north east.
- 9 Colchester Art Center. In an old church
- 10 Bourne Mill (National Trust asset), Bourne road, ☎ 44 01206 768145, @[email protected]. Adults: £ 3.50, Children: £ 1.80, free National Trust or FAI members. Open on Sundays from 2pm to 5pm. Water mill
- 11 Hollytrees Museum, in the same building as the tourist office, ☎ 44 1206 282940, fax: 44 01206 282925. free. Mon-Sat: 10 am-5pm.
adults: £ 7.50, children (4-16): £ 4.75. Recently renovated, inside there is a museum with works that retrace more than 2000 years of English and international art history. The castle, from the Norman period, stands on a Roman temple.
9.30-18.00.Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
The center of Colchester has practically been transformed into a shopping center with many shops such as WHSmith, Boots, H&M, Debenhams, topshop, etc. Even the ground floor of a church was used for shops!
To buy souvenirs or typical products one of the best shops (even if a little expensive) is:
- 1 Gunton's, 81-83 Chiurch street, ☎ 44 1206 572200. 8.30-17.00.
How to have fun
Shows
In Colchester there is a cinema and a theater:
- 1 Mercury Theater, Balkerne Gate, ☎ 44 01206 573948.
- 2 Odeon, 29-31 Head St.
Where to eat
Moderate prices
The whole city is full of fast food and restaurant chains such as KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, Subway and Nando's.
- 1 Embassy Oriental Buffet, 2 Balkerne Hill, ☎ 44 1206 572266. lunch: £ 5.90. 12-14.30, 17.30-22.30. Eat all you can restaurant
Where stay
Average prices
- 1 The George, 116 High St.. Historic hotel in the city center.
Safety
How to keep in touch
Post office
- 3 Colchester Post Office, 69-70 North Hill, ☎ 44 845 722 3344.
Internet
Virtually every shop, bar and restaurant has a free internet connection. Most shops have a service operated by the English telephone company O2. To access this service it is necessary to register (once, a code sent with a text message will then be requested at each access).
Around
Mersea Island - A small island on the river estuary Blackwater. The northern area of the island is characterized by a swamp, but in the southern area there are some human settlements: Barrow Hill (which consists of some houses along the road), East Mersea (a small set of farms, a tourist office, a pub and a few shops) e West Mersea (a small fishing town important for fish dishes and with some shops).
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Colchester
Commons contains images or other files on Colchester
