Rainy Day Exploring Colchester, Britain's Oldest Town

 

Me telling my coworkers what Aaron and I did this weekend: We went to Colchester!
My coworkers: Why?

Why not?! Aaron and I were looking for a day trip near London and Colchester seemed like the perfect town. It's only an hour and a half by train from London and has tons of history because it's Britain's oldest recorded town (AD 79). The town was actually occupied by Romans and has the remains to prove it: there's evidence of two Roman theaters, a temple, walls and a Roman circus (chariot race track).

We started off by exploring the Colchester castle which was constructed over the vaults of the ruined temple of Claudius. The Norman castle just recently went through a huge refurbishment inside, and it was definitely worth the visit. Each area of the castle goes through a different piece of the town's history since it changed hands so many time. There are also tons of stories and artifacts like old Roman burial items, games, skulls and daily life items (jewelry, pottery, coins, etc).

Next we walked to the remains of the Roman wall and Balkerne Gate, a first century Roman gateway that is still in tact! There's a pub next to it that was built into the wall. It was originally called one name but then changed ownership and while the owners were trying to decide what to rename it to, the locals called it "Hole in the Wall." That name has stuck and it's now renamed that : ) Aaron and I ducked in there for a pint while we waited out the rain storm that passed through.

St John's (left), Hole in the Wall Pub (right)

Next we walked to St John's Abbey which has visible damage from WWI bombing. We stopped into another local pub nearby for a pint and some dinner before heading back on the train to the city. The locals in the pub were awesome. We ended up watching a football match with them, and everyone was really friendly.

A great day outing visiting "Roman Britain", even if there was a little rain!