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PART
(for extra
and for end)
of
your
GUIDED
TOUR
OF
COLCHESTER
Welcome to the final part of this, my
Magical
History Tour.
I hope that you have enjoyed it so
far.
This page gives a few extra bits that
are not normally included within the standard walking
tour. These are as follows:
Once
more, before we set off (and to give the pictures time to load),
perhaps I ought to say a little bit more about our history, so that
you can fit in the places and buildings that we'll see with the
events that produced them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The unwelcome visit by Queen Boadicea
of the Iceni tribe, around the year AD 60 has led to her becoming a
folk legend of particular relevance to Colchester. So much so that a
modern sculpture of her was commissioned and now stands proudly at
the centre of a roundabout near North Station. Like it or loathe it
(I love it!), it is a formidable image of this warrior queen who
wreaked such devastation on this town all those years ago.
QUEEN BOADICEA
~~~~~~~~~~~
The Siege of Colchester of
1648, also had a devastating effect on our town. Many of our finest
buildings were damaged or destroyed by cannon balls from Roundhead
fire. Indeed, it was only special pleading which prevented our Roman
walls from being pulled down, after the conflict, as Parliament
wanted an assurance that Colchester would never again be able to defy
government forces so effectively. The town was fined very heavily for
its defiance which led to a considerable decline in its prosperity
and the well being of its populace.
ST BOTOLPH'S PRIORY
The
dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII in the 16th
century, led to our St Botolph's Priory falling into decline - but it
was the cannon ball that reduced it to the sorry state that it is in
now. It must have been a wonderful building in its day.
St
Botolph's Priory was the first Augustinian priory built in this
country, having authority over all other houses of the order in this
country. It was founded between 1093 and 1100 and had thirteen
inmates, comprising one prior and twelve canons, typifying Christ and
his disciples. It was never a wealthy endowment, despite its
seniority amongst Augustinian houses.
Regrettably, the
priory grounds are now the haunt of Colchester's misfits and this
should be borne in mind when making a visit. They are no particular
threat but can cause a degree of concern sometimes.
~~~~~~~~~~~
THE GARRISON
Discounting the presence of barracks
erected by the Romans shortly after they conquered Britain,
Colchester has long been known as a garrison town. The first official
barracks were constructed during the Napoleonic wars of the late 18th
century. The Crimean War of the 1860's brought further barrack
construction, later to be replaced by the brick built barracks of
Hyderabad and Meanee in the 1890's. The Infantry and Cavalry barracks
stand today as a reminder of past times and have preservation orders
placed on them because of their uniqueness. At the height of war, the
Cavalry barracks housed 3000 men and 5000 horses, some of the barrack
blocks constructed so that a cavalryman slept in a room above his
horse's stable.
Today, Colchester proudly hosts the
Parachute Regiment, who have recently made Colchester their
regimental headquarters.
Colchester also has a place known by
many past soldiers as 'The Glasshouse' (named after the military
prison at Aldershot which had a glass roof) building, the army
military corrective centre - the jail. It was the abolition of
capital punishment in the 1860's, when a soldier could be flogged
until close to death, that brought about the need for jails for an
alternative punishment. Previously the punishment fitted the crime
and that was the end of it.
The area is undergoing much change at
the moment and the old Victorian buildings are awaiting development.
That is why the following picture taken at the Cavalry Barracks shows
such decay. These are protected buildings so they should survive for
many years to come as unique examples of Britain's military heritage.
The present day military personnel have new quarters to the south of
the town.
To see how these buildings once
looked and were used, you could take a look at some old postcards
here.
The following picture is of the 1856
built, Crimean War, church. It is the largest timber building in
Britain and was made to a similar design to the wooden hospitals that
were sent out for use by Florence Nightingale on the battle front. It
became redundant in 2007 and an alternative use is being sought, if
it is not to be lost to us.
The church is built on a Napoleonic
perid graveyard, the grave stone here, to Thomas Morris, dating from
1806.
~~~~~~~~~~~
GOSBECKS
The
Gosbecks Archaeological Park is located in the position where it is
believed once was the heart of Iron Age (celtic) Camulodunum. It is
believed that it was here that a powerful tribal people, known as the
Trinovantes, once lived.
These ancient Britons were renowned
warriors who were adept at fighting from horse drawn chariots, making
use of the protection given by their defensive dyke system (earth
mound walls) that they constructed over the centuries. The area is
relatively flat, the land fertile and free draining, and is close to
what we now know as the Roman River. It was probably here that the
Emperor Claudius came with his Roman army in the year 43 to take the
surrender of several British tribal leaders (or kings). This was the
seat of the most powerful of the British tribal leaders.
The Iron Age Dyke
System - Camulodunum (fortress of
the celtic war god Camulos) was protected by an extensive system of
banks and ditches from the first century BC. These dykes (as they are
known) helped to enclose an area of 12 square miles (? hectares),
forming part of a complex series of defences which included the
natural barriers of the River Colne and the Roman River. The main
period of construction came under Cunobelin, who was known to the
Romans as 'King of the Britons'. There were two main centres of
activity within the dyke system. One at Gosbecks and the other at
Sheepen. The outermost dyke on the west side was Gryme's Dyke, which
was probably the last major addition to the system. It was
constructed around the time of the Roman conquest of AD43. Gryme's
Dyke can still be followed for most of its 6km length. It consists of
a 12 metre wide bank, much of which survives to more than half of its
original 3 metre height. On its west side was a ditch, 9 metres wide
and 4 metres deep, which is now mostly silted-up. There is also good
evidence of the other dykes in the system. All have different names.
In the past 100, or so, years, these dykes have been protected and
nobody is permitted to do anything that might damage them.
Clear evidence has been found of a
pre-Christian (pagan) temple comprising a large square ditch with a
single entranceway. It had an inner, four sided, roofed structure,
although this was probably added by the Romans at a later date. The
Romans clearly realised the social and cultural importance of this
site and must have worked closely with the indigenous population to
bring a civilising influence to a new Britain under Roman
control.
Inside
the temple area, there appears to have been a temple structure which
was offset from centre, as can be seen in the picture below. This was
clearly a site of great spirituality and is one that is of great
interest to archaeologists and historians alike. Up until the 1980's
the Barber family had been farming the area. Deep ploughing
techniques and the damage it can do to archaeological remains was of
great concern and, in return for building planning concessions, the
land that we now know as the Gosbecks Archaeological Park, was given
to the nation (administered by English Heritage), whereupon the park
became a protected site.
The original structures have
disappeared in antiquity, their foundations extensively robbed out,
the ditches filled in. The building materials were probably harvested
several hundred years later to assist with the building of Norman
Colchester. The interpretation boards show how things might once have
been.
Colchester
is unique in that it not only has the only Roman circus
in Britain but it also has two Roman theatres. This is clear
demonstration of just how important Colchester was to the Romans. The
theatre that was discovered at Gosbecks is still possible to make out
as a definite raised area, probably from a time when the tiered
seating used grass turf. One of the display boards has a very grand
looking structure which has been conjectured from archaeological
evidence. Only five such theatres are known throughout the whole of
Roman Britain - and we have two of them. Please see the virtual tour
that deals with the Dutch Quarter of Colchester, for the other
theatre.
Please also remember that a theatre was very different to an
amphitheatre. Roman amphitheatres exist in Europe and were used for
sporting interests rather than the academic use of theatres. We don't
believe that we would have had any Christians being fed to the lions
or gladiatorial combats. The Gosbecks area, the original Camulodunum
of antiquity, became the place where the indigenous British people
could live in peace, watched over by their Roman masters a short
distance away in what we now know as Colchester's town centre. With
its temple and theatre, this must have become a place of peace and
culture, rather than where the most powerful tribes lived and fought
from.
The
Iron Age defensive dyke system which surrounds this site and is in
evidence all around modern Colchester, are truly impressive and stand
as a testament to the importance of the area, the like of which is
not to be found anywhere else in Britain. The site is scheduled for
future development as a place of historic interest, funding and
further archaeological excavations being under consideration by
English Heritage.
There were plans to build an
interpretation centre here to explain the significance of this site.
However, the plans had to be shelved, mainly due to a lack of the
necessary funding. Meanwhile Sutton Hoo achieved what we failed to
do. Today, the site is preserved as a large open space, very popular
with dog walkers.
With a little imagination, one can
take oneself back in time to a time when King Cunobelin lived here
(around the years 4 to 40 AD), with characteristic Iron Age round
houses dotted about, smoke drifting through their roofs, livestock in
pens, children playing, battle hardened warriors testing their skills
with their weapons and chariots, etc. But wouldn't it be so much
better if we had our interpretation centre with a reconstructed round
house and an opportunity for modern-day people to experience how
things must once have been?
~~~~~~~~~~~
AUDLEY CHAPEL
A short way away from Gosbecks is the
church at Berechurch where is to be found the Audley Chapel, a 16th
century family chapel with a fine hammerbeam roof and monuments to
the Audleys and other families. The following pictures were taken
during a Heritage Open Day in 2006.
In the churchyard outside is a tomb
to the Ward family, recording the life of one remarkable
man.
James Ward.
James Ward sailed on the third voyage
on the Resolution as an A.B. (24) until 01 November 1777.
He then became a midshipman until 02
November 1779 when he reverted to being an A.B. He was the first
aboard to see the Hawaiian Islands in 1778.
The Ward family owned West Donyland,
on the southern edge of Colchester. James's grandfather, Knox Ward,
who was Clarenceux King of Arms from 1726 to 1741, acquired the
property in 1736. At his death in 1746 it passed to his son, Ralph
Ward. Ralph and his wife Ann were the parents of James Ward, who was
born in 1761.
Ward attended the Naval Academy at
Portsmouth from 1772 until 1775 where he became a close friend of
Trevenen. After the voyage, he became a lieutenant in August 1782 and
saw service in the East Indies under James Burney. He died on 28
September 1806 and was buried at St. Michael's, Berechurch outside
Colchester.
These notes were compiled by John
Robson a New Zealand member of the Captain Cook Society. Please go
here
for more information about this Colchester Hero.
His memorial inscription states that
he sailed the world with Captain Cook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EARLIEST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN BRITAIN?
Just outside the Head Gate area of
the Roman Colonia, adjacent to the present day Police Station, was
discovered the remains of a church like structure, dateable to AD 320
- 340. The Romans officially became Christians in 313 and this church
may well be the earliest known Christian church in Britain. In Roman
times, the dead were not allowed to be buried within the walls and a
vast area in the vicinity of this church was used for both post and
pre-Christian burials, identifiable by whether they were inhumations
or exhumations. Literally hundreds of graves have been excavated by
the archaeologists, mainly in the 1970's, although many must have
been destroyed in Victorian period when the area was quarried for
sand and the land used for buildings.
~~~~~~~~~~~
ST JOHN'S
ABBEY
A short distance away towards
St Botolphs, but still outside the walls, St John's Abbey was built
in the latter part of the 11th century. The abbot of St John's became
a very powerful individual, much hated by the townspeople. There is
now no evidence of the original building which fell into decline
after the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.
The impressive St John's Abbey gate
still survives, as does some of its perimeter wall along Mersea Road.
The nearby St Giles church, part of the St Johns Abbey complex, still
stands and is now a Masonic Hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~
THE HYTHE AND THE UNIVERSITY
The Essex University was
constructed in the 1960's and stands to the east of the town towards
the town of Wivenhoe. The picture (looking east) below shows it in
the distance, with King Edward Quay in the foreground. The Hythe area
in general, is undergoing great changes at the moment following the
closing of the once important dock area of the town, where the Romans
would once have brought their goods to Colchester.
~~~~~~~~~~~
and back into the town
centre,
THE MINORIES
The Minories is an 18th century
building that was built by a wealthy bay maker, William Boggis. It
now serves as one of the town's art galleries.
In the garden is a curious folly
building, the purpose of which seems to have been lost with time.
Perhaps simply - a piece of folly!
~~~~~~~~~~~
On
BALKERNE HILL
we have some fine sculptures at St
Mary's car park, which was opened in 1981. Those shown in the
following picture originally came from the two niches (now windows)
in the building previously known as the Albert Hall in High Street
(shown inset, one modern day, one 1870's). It is now the Co-operative
Bank. The building was built in 1845 as our corn exchange, then
becoming our reperatory theatre and finally, after a period of
redundancy in the 1970's, a bank. These two sculptures are (we
believe) depictions of the Greek goddess Demeter (known by the Romans
as Ceres) and were intended to represenent ancient and modern
agriculture. They may have been made to designs by Raphael Brandon.
Demeter was the sister of Zeus. Her name means "barley-mother" or
"mother earth" and goddess of fertility. Sacred to her are livestock
and agricultural products (with the emphasis on corn), poppy,
narcissus and the crane. In the left hand sculpture she holds a
spade. She is holding on to a tree of some sort. There is also a ring
of various signs of the zodiac. In the right hand sculpture she holds
a sickle and a sheaf of corn. An elaborate vine is also
depicted.
A short way to the south is a
beautiful sculpture by local sculptor Shirley Morrison entitled
'Mother and Child'. It was placed into a specially constructed
'grotto' shortly after the statue was created in the 1980's. Why this
choice of subject was made, we do not know.
see ECS 04121981 and
ECS 02061972 and ECS 09061972
Just a short distance away from these
sculptures, up the hill and into the recently built 'Balkerne
Heights' development, is to be found this very attractive communal
area and, in particular the modern mosaic that is its focal point.
This piece of Roman style work, created by Ann Schwegmann-Fielding,
was unveiled by the Mayor of Colchester in June 2006
(ECS
090606).
There are 17 other sculptures in the
form of murals, produced by artists Henry Collins and Joyce Pallot in
the 1970's and located in various underpasses that were built during
the development of Southway. We hope to show pictures of these at a
later date.
The following three pictures are
further murals from Kingsway in the town centre, just off Queens
Street.
~~~~~~~~~~~
On
THE RIVERSIDE ESTATE
can be seen restored monumental
inscriptions taken from Finch's Almshouses that once stood on the
site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE SPURGEON CHAPEL
All Christian preachers will know the
name of Charles Haddon Spurgeon; perhaps the greatest preacher that
ever there was. He was born in Kelvedon but grew up in Colchester. He
was converted in this modest little Primitive Methodist chapel in
Artillery Street in 1850. Go here
for more information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
and
finally, back to our wonderful Castle......
to parts of the grounds that are not
generally visited on the standard tour.
The Victorian Bandstand
Followed by images of the area known
as Duncan's Gate in the north face
of the Roman wall.
At the foot of the park, on the north
face of the Roman wall, was discovered a postern gate, named Duncan's
Gate, in memory of the Victorian gentleman who discovered it. It is
closed off to the public because of its poor condition and because of
the presence of an impressive drain that passes underneath it. This
drain is at least 100 metres in length and runs up the hill towards
the castle. Some time in antiquity, probably in the last years of the
Roman period, it appears that the gateway was destroyed by fire, the
top archway of the structure collapsing and still laying where it
fell. The steps shown are a modern addition.
A later archaeological excavation
uncovered evidence of Roman period houses in the castle grounds. This
picture shows the original tessellated floor surface.
A short distance away may be
seen a section of the perimeter wall that would have formed a
boundary around the Claudian temple, the site of which lies under our
magnificent Norman castle, as seen in the background.
These pictures show just one of the
stele (but perhaps the most impressive) that has been discovered and
now housed within the Castle Museum. This is the tombstone of a
Thracian Auxiliary Cavalryman by the name of
Longinus
Sdapeze, dated around AD60
and perhaps thrown to the ground in disgust by Boudicea's forces
during their rampages. There it lay for almost 2000 years, until its
chance discovery in 1928 by local workmen.
This picture is of a copy of the
stele, now held in the British Museum. It shows how the original item
might once have looked. The inscription reads:
Longinus
Sdapeze
Matygi
duplicarius
ala prima T(h)racum
pago
Sardi(ca!) anno(rum)
XL aeror(um) XV
heredes exs(!)
testam(ento) [f(aciendum)] c(uraverunt)
h(ic) s(itus)
e(st)
Roughly translated as:
Longinus Sdapeze, son of Matygus,
from the town of Sardica duplicarius
of the Ala I Thracum, 40 years of age, served 15 (years),
lies here. His heirs had (this
tombstone) set up by testament.
Or, in other words, Longinus Sdapeze
was the second in command of a Thracian cavalry unit, an auxillary
soldier (not a Roman). Longinus was his Roman name, Sdapeze was his
tribal name. He died in Colchester after fifteen years of service to
the Roman army. It indicates that the 40 year old Longinus was born
in the area of the modern day Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria. It
reveals that he was a duplicarius, one of the highest paid cavalry
positions. His heirs erected the tombstone, according to his will,
probably funded from the contributions given by fellow soldiers to
provide such a stone. Longinus died in AD49, soon after the invasion
in 43, suggesting that he may have come to Britain with Claudius's
invasion force, and possibly marched into Colchester in the emperor's
procession. It is the oldest Roman gravestone in Britain.
The tombstone shows fine detail of
his attire, in particular, detail of the scale-armored cuirass
(lorica squamata), a coolus helmet, an oval shield and the elaborate
bronze phalerae covering the strapping on the horse’s harness.
The fallen warrior (presumably representative of a Briton) is in a
foetal position being trampled underneath the horse. A powerful
message, bound to anger the indigenous population. His spear has been
broken in antiquity.
If you would like to see a little
more of the inside of the castle, please click here.
I think that you will find it of interest!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Email me at:
Sdapeze@aol.com
Please tell your friends about this
site - or better still, visit our wonderful town and see it first
hand. If you would like to leave a virtual tip, sorry, I have gone to
the virtual pub for a virtual pint of beer. See you down there! To
revisit any part of the tour, please click on any of the
following:
