Colchester. A small town with a huge history

Colchester

A small town with a huge history

Located in East Anglia, the settlement is considered one of the oldest recorded towns in Britain. It was first mentioned in the 1st century BC, when it was the residence of king Cunobelin of the Catuvellauni (5BC-40AD) under the Celtic name Camulodunon.

Coin of king Cunobeline

It was claimed that Camelot, the residence of the legendary king Arthur, was a corruption of this Celtic name, but it was never supported with relevant evidence. In the year 43AD, the Roman Empire invaded and conquered Britannia. As a result, a Roman legionary fortress was established in Colchester which would become the capital of the newly formed Roman province. However, the fortress would be severely damaged after queen Boudica's revolt in 61 AD. Today, only a small section of the Roman walls remains from the former settlement. 

A statue of queen Boudica, near Westminster, London

Fast forward, after the Roman retreat from Britain in 410 AD, Saxon invasion and subsequent Norman invasion in 1066, the Colchester Castle was built around year 1100 on the top of the vaults of a Roman temple. 

Colchester Castle. It may look big in this picture, but trust me. It is not. I wish, I could have visited it, but I was in a hurry, so maybe next time

In 1189, king Richard I the Lionheart granted the city a royal charter. Colchester developed rapidly in the 14th century, as a centre of the wool cloth industry. This allowed the city to recover from the Black Death, which killed almost of the population. As of 2022, Colchester has the city status.