Colchester Castle

Colchester Castle stands on foundations that once supported the Temple of Claudius, a Roman temple built when Colchester was the capital of Roman Britain. Begun around 1076, the enormous Norman keep later became a prison before opening as a museum in 1860. Inside, archaeological finds reveal the city’s past, from Iron Age communities and Roman rule to the medieval period. Highlights include the Fenwick Hoard, a collection of Roman jewellery hidden nearly 2,000 years ago, and the Colchester Gladiator Vase. Visitors can also descend into the surviving Roman foundations beneath the castle, discovering how two very different eras share the same site.