11 Sights in Colchester, United Kingdom (with Map and Images)

Colchester Castle is a Norman castle in Colchester, Essex, England, dating from the second half of the eleventh century. The keep of the castle is mostly intact and is the largest example of its kind anywhere in Europe, due to its being built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, Colchester. The castle endured a three-month siege in 1216, but had fallen into disrepair by the seventeenth century when the curtain walls and some of the keep's upper parts were demolished; its original height is debated. The remaining structure was used as a prison and was partially restored as a large garden pavilion, but was purchased by Colchester Borough Council in 1922. The castle has since 1860 housed Colchester Museum, which has an important collection of Roman exhibits. It is a scheduled monument and a Grade I listed building.

Wikipedia: Colchester Castle (EN)

Jumbo Water Tower is a water tower at the Balkerne Gate in Colchester, Essex. Charles Clegg (c.1855-c.1904), the Borough Surveyor and Engineer, designed the structure. The tower is 40.1m tall overall and contains 1.2 million red bricks. The tower was nicknamed ’Jumbo’ after the London Zoo elephant as a term of derision in 1882 by Reverend John Irvine who was annoyed that the tower dwarfed his nearby rectory at St. Mary-at-the-Walls.

Wikipedia: Jumbo Water Tower (EN)

Abbotts Hall Farm is a 282 hectare nature reserve in Great Wigborough in Essex. It is the head office of the Essex Wildlife Trust, which manages the site. It is also part of the Blackwater Estuary National Nature Reserve, Site of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar site, Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation, It is an important archaeological site, and includes a Scheduled Monument, Great Wigborough henge.

Wikipedia: Abbotts Hall Farm (EN), Url

The Church of St Leonard at the Hythe is a redundant Anglican church in Hythe, Colchester, Essex, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands on the north side of Hythe Hill, in the Hythe area of Colchester.

Wikipedia: Church of St Leonard at the Hythe, Colchester (EN), Url

Old St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of West Bergholt, Essex, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It stands at a distance from the village, close to West Bergholt Hall.

Wikipedia: Old St Mary's Church, West Bergholt (EN)

The Mercury Theatre is a theatre in Colchester, producing highly regarded original work under the title "Mercury Productions" and also receiving touring shows. The theatre has two auditoria, and is led by Tracey Childs, Steve Mannix and Ryan McBryde. The theatre also contains The Digby Gallery, which showcases local art.

Wikipedia: Mercury Theatre, Colchester (EN)

St Martin's Church is an active Orthodox church, in the Antiochian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland, in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. The church stands in the centre of the city, near the town hall.

Wikipedia: St Martin's Church, Colchester (EN)

Colchester Zoo is a zoological garden situated near Colchester, England. The zoo opened in 1963 and celebrated its 60th anniversary on 2 June 2023. It is home to many rare and endangered species, including big cats, primates and birds as well as many invertebrates and fish species.

Wikipedia: Colchester Zoo (EN), Website

Colchester New Church is a Christian New Church in Colchester, England, which has as its theological basis the Old and New Testaments and the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Colchester New Church is part of the General Church of the New Jerusalem.

Wikipedia: Colchester New Church (EN)

Balkerne Gate is a Roman gateway in Colchester. It is the largest surviving gateway in Roman Britain and was built where the Roman road from Londinium intersected the town wall of Camulodunum. It is a scheduled monument and a Grade I listed building.

Wikipedia: Balkerne Gate (EN)

Layer Marney Tower is an incomplete early Tudor country house, with gardens and parkland, dating from about 1523, in Layer Marney, Essex, England, between Colchester and Maldon. The building was designated Grade I listed in 1952.

Wikipedia: Layer Marney Tower (EN), Heritage Website