Colchester Castle

Colchester Castle

We visited Colchester Castle.  Not knowing Colchester very well, we parked in the Britannia Car Park, about 10 minutes away.  I still don't know if there is a nearer, cheaper Car Park.

It doesn't look like a traditional castle, but it is one of the most important monuments in our history.  Originally built by the Romans as a tribute to Claudius, the remains were used to build a Norman castle after 1066.  We had a guided tour that took us into the foundations, but couldn't allow us on the roof as there are repairs in progress.  The 2000-year-old Roman concrete is as good today as it was 2000 years ago. 

The castle was later used as a prison for the witch trials, where girls as young as 15 were tortured and put to death as witches. 

After our guided tour, we had lunch at "Cod of the Castle", just outside the gates. The food was very good.

Then we went back inside for a better look around. There are Roman displays, Norman displays and the prison has a video imagining the witch trials, which is powerful.

The Colchester Sphinx caught my eye. 

Once we had finished in the castle, we walked around the grounds, found ice cream, and on down to the river, where there were a lot of swans (10+).

Soon it was time to return to the car, our 5 hours were up.

There are some lovely roses in the rose gardens surrounding the castle, and in the park.  These two caught my eye, because of the colours and the petal shapes.
 

A lovely day out.