Colchester was founded as a colony of Roman citizens in AD49 - the first place in the province of Britannia to be granted such a status - built within the Celtic settlement of Camulodunum.
Today, the town is the 'cultural capital of Essex' and a thriving shopping destination with plentiful reminders of its heritage. There's no escaping relics of the Romans and Normans, the medieval woollen-trade boom town, and evidence of the Civil War siege, but there are countless other stories to uncover. All of which are set among a rich variety of museums, theatres, art galleries; lanes of independent shops, restaurants and tea rooms; plus leading department and other big name stores. |