Colchester factfile

How to get to Colchester
Colchester lies 56 miles (90 km) to the north east of London in the county of Essex. It is easily accessible from the capital by the A12 artery, and by Great Eastern Mainline rail services.

Colchester in history
Colchester claims to be the oldest town in Britain. Pliny the Elder mentioned it in AD77, and after the Roman conquest it became the first capital of Roman Britain, under the name Camulodunum.

The town continued to be an important regional centre throughout the Saxon and medieval periods. Colchester Castle was built in the 11th century, and the town saw an expansion with the arrival of large number of weavers and clothmakers from Flanders in the latter half of the 1500s.

Colchester has many fine examples of Victorian architecture too, including the Town Hall and Jumbo Water Tower.

Things to see and do in Colchester
Colchester is home to an award-winning zoo, which boasts an exciting orangutan enclosure, colourful macaws, iguanas and tortoises among its many exhibits. It's also one of the few zoos in Britain which is allowed to keep the rare komodo dragon.

As you might expect, Roman remains abound in Colchester. Some of the old city wall is still visible, and there are always ongoing excavations.

Colchester Castle Museum, housed in the beautifully preserved castle, contains an extensive exhibition on the town's Roman, Saxon, medieval, Tudor and later history.

Arts and culture in Colchester
Colchester's Mercury theatre is one of the region's leading repertory theatres. The central Headgate Theatre offers a varied programme from local operatic and dramatic groups.

For contemporary arts, including rock, folk, world music, comedy and jazz, try the Colchester Arts Centre, a modern arts venue located in the former St Mary-at-the-Walls church. It also hosts the Colchester Beer Festival.

Natural beauty spots around Colchester
Looking to explore the countryside of Essex? Dedham Vale and Stour Valley, much beloved of painter John Constable and many other writers and artists, offer stunning landscapes of rolling farmland, woodland, waterways and meadows.

Colchester's claim to fame
Colchester has long been suggested as a possible site of the mysterious Camelot of Arthurian legend, partly because of its similar-sounding ancient Roman name Camulodunon.