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Essex
- Places of Interest
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Colchester Castle Museum
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Castle Park, High Street, Colchester,
Essex CO1 1TJ
Tel: 01206 282939
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 Colchester Castle is undeniably one of the
most important historic buildings in the country. Colchester was the first capital of Roman
Britain and beneath the Castle are the remains of
the most famous Roman buildings, the Temple of Claudius. Today if you lay your hand on the stonework of the temple it can be said that you
are touching the very foundation of Roman Britain.
To Romans the temple was a symbol of their power and success, but to the native Britons
it was a symbol of oppression. The temple became a main target of the rebels led by
Queen Boudica who attacked the Roman town of Colchester in AD 60. Around 1076 William I ordered
a royal fortress to be built at Colchester. The great stone base of the ruined
Roman temple was an obvious foundation for the central tower, or keep, of the castle.
The huge size of the temple meant that the keep of Colchester Castle was
the largest ever built in Britain and is the
largest surviving example in Europe. For most
of its life the Castle was used as a prison. One of the most infamous episodes in its
history occurred in 1645 when Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witchfinder General,
used the Castle to imprison and interrogate suspected witches.
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