Colchester Castle

Colchester, United Kingdom

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Wheelchair access: Accessible

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

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Colchester Castle is a Norman keep in Colchester, Essex, begun in 1069 under architect Gundulf, and now a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument. The castle's keep—the largest of its kind in Europe—was built upon the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, which accounts for its exceptional size. Though mostly intact, the structure has been significantly altered: it endured a three-month siege in 1216 and fell into disrepair by the seventeenth century, when the curtain walls and upper portions were demolished, leaving its original height disputed. After serving as a prison and being partially reconstructed as a garden pavilion, the castle was purchased by Colchester Borough Council in 1922. Since 1860 it has housed Colchester Museum, which holds a notable collection of Roman artifacts, and the castle itself occupies Castle Park.