A visit to Colchester Castle is better than ever before with interactive displays and star exhibits, like the Colchester Gladiator Vase and Fenwick Hoard of Roman treasure. Have a go at building a Norman archway, dressing as an Iron Age Briton or steering a Roman chariot. Be wowed as a large scale projection transforms the east wall with light and sound.
Tours, led by expert guides, are offered daily and can take you down into the Roman vaults and up onto the Castle roof.
Built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, Colchester Castle is the largest Norman keep in Europe. Now a museum, it showcases the history of Colchester from Celtic Kings, through Roman invasion and Boudiccan revolt, to Norman conquest and medieval life. Its Civil War story and terrible link to Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins can also be explored in the surviving prisons.
Some of the most important historical finds in Britain can be found in Colchester Castle, from Celtic coin hoards to Roman statues and mosaics, medieval paintings to civil war armour. Look out for the famous Sheepen Cauldron, a huge and mysterious vessel from the Bronze Age, and the hastily hidden Fenwick Hoard of silver and gold jewellery from Roman Britain.