56-532: Firstsite is a visual arts organisation based in Colchester , Essex , which opened in 1993 as Colchester and District Visual Arts Trust, changing its name to Firstsite in 1995. Its current building was opened in 2011. It was the national Art Fund's Museum of the Year in 2021. The building Firstsite occupies as a tenant was designed by Rafael Viñoly and the freehold is retained by Colchester Council. The building
112-555: A brand new stadium at Cuckoo Farm in 2008. On 20 May 2022, it was announced that as part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours , what was then the Borough of Colchester would receive city status . It was slated to receive the status formally by letters patent on 12 September 2022, however following the death of Queen Elizabeth II , the ceremony was postponed. On 29 September 2022, the letters patent
168-511: A centre of Protestant "heresy" and in consequence at least 19 local people were burned at the stake at the castle, at first in front, later within the walls. They are commemorated on a tablet near the altar of St Peter's Church. (Sources: John Foxe, Book of Martyrs; Mark Byford, The Process of Reformation in a Tudor Town) The town saw the start of the Stour Valley riots of 1642, when the town house of John Lucas, 1st Baron Lucas of Shenfield
224-498: A dry climate compared to the rest of the UK all year round and occasional (relative) extremes of temperatures during the year (occasional high 20 °Cs/low 30 °Cs during the summer) and quite a few nights below freezing during the winter months (daytime high temperatures are seldom below freezing). Any rainfall that does come from Atlantic weather systems is usually light, but a few heavy showers and thunderstorms can take place during
280-408: A fifth-century wooden hut built on the ruins of a Roman house in present-day Lion Walk. Archaeological excavations have shown that public buildings were abandoned, and is very doubtful whether Colchester survived as a settlement with any urban characteristics after the sixth century. The chronology of its revival is obscure. But the ninth-century Historia Brittonum , attributed to Nennius , mentions
336-611: A grey-brown colour). This allowed the population to recover exceptionally rapidly from the effects of the Black Death , particularly by immigration into the town. Rovers Tye Farm, now a pub on Ipswich Road , has been documented as being established by 1353. By the 'New Constitutions' of 1372, a borough council was instituted; the two bailiffs who represented the borough to the king were now expected to consult sixteen ordinary councillors and eight auditors (later called aldermen). Even though Colchester's fortunes were more mixed during
392-694: A selection of new feature and short films from around the world and centred at the VAF, was held from to 2012 to 2017 (excluding 2016). There are 12 cinema screens spread across the 8 screen Odeon, 3 screen Curzon and 1 screen in the firstsite gallery. Local links with football began with the amateur club Colchester Town , which was formed in 1867 and dissolved in 1937. They were succeeded by professional club Colchester United , who compete in Football League Two (as of season 2023–24) and play home games at Colchester Community Stadium . Founded in 1937,
448-573: A social history museum with children's exhibits in the former home of Charles Gray , and the Natural History Museum, located in the former All Saints' Church. The Colchester Archaeological Trust have opened a visitor centre and museum at the former Cavalry Barracks to display finds from the Roman Circus, with replicas and models of the circus, as well as finds from the nearby Roman cemeteries. In 2014 brick and marble columns from
504-468: A type of Roman settlement with rights equivalent to those of Roman citizens, one of which was believed to have been founded in the vicinity of Colchester) and castra , meaning fortifications (referring to the city walls, the oldest in Britain). The earliest forms of the name Colchester are Colenceaster and Colneceastre from the 10th century, with the modern spelling of Colchester being found in
560-619: Is also located in Colchester. Firstsite is a contemporary art organisation, based in the Visual Arts Facility, which was designed by Rafael Viñoly , and opened in September 2011, at a total cost of approximately £25.5 million, £9 million more than the original estimate. The Minories houses The Minories Galleries, which is managed by Colchester Institute and presents contemporary exhibitions by artists from
616-456: Is derived from Colne and Castra . Ekwall went as far as to say "it has often been held that Colchester contains as first element [Latin] colonia ... this derivation is ruled out of court by the fact that Colne is the name of several old villages situated a good many miles from Colchester and on the Colne. The identification of Colonia with Colchester is doubtful." The popular association of
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#1732783586548672-733: Is late Saxon work. Medieval Colchester's main landmark is Colchester Castle , which is an 11th-century Norman keep, and built on top of the vaults of the old Roman temple . There are notable medieval ruins in Colchester, including the surviving gateway of the Benedictine abbey of St John the Baptist (known locally as "St John's Abbey"), and the ruins of the Augustinian priory of St Botolph (known locally as " St Botolph's Priory "). Many of Colchester's parish churches date from this period. Colchester's medieval town seal incorporated
728-529: Is situated in Colchester's "Cultural Quarter" near The Minories, Colchester , fifteen Queen Street (a creative business hub), the Norman Colchester Castle , the Natural History Museum, Hollytrees Museum and Colchester's Roman Wall. Its exhibits are on a rolling six-monthly basis, starting with Camulodunum . It cooperated with Essex University to show South American art until 2013. Firstsite has no permanent art collection of its own. It
784-572: Is surrounded by Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments that pre-date the town, including a Neolithic henge at Tendring , large Bronze Age barrow cemeteries at Dedham and Langham , and a larger example at Brightlingsea consisting of a cluster of 22 barrows. Colchester is said to be the oldest recorded town in Britain on the grounds that it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder , who died in AD 79, although
840-583: The 16th Air Assault Brigade . The Army's only military corrective training centre, known colloquially within the forces and locally as " The Glasshouse " after the original military prison in Aldershot , is in Berechurch Hall Road, on the outskirts of Colchester. The centre holds men and women from all three services who are sentenced to serve periods of detention . From 1998 to 2008, the garrison area underwent massive redevelopment. A lot of
896-589: The Jumbo Water Tower and the Albert Hall . In 1884, the area was struck by the Colchester earthquake , estimated to have been 4.7 on the Richter Scale causing extensive regional damage. The Paxman diesels business has been associated with Colchester since 1865 when James Noah Paxman founded a partnership with the brothers Henry and Charles Davey ('Davey, Paxman, and Davey') and opened
952-573: The Ministry of Defence land was sold for private housing development and parts of the garrison were moved. Many parts of the garrison now stand empty awaiting the second phase of the development. Since 2006, Colchester has been one of 12 places in the UK where Royal Salutes are fired to mark Royal anniversaries and visits by foreign heads of state. From 2009, these salutes have taken place in Castle Park. BFBS Radio broadcasts from studios on
1008-612: The River Colne , Colchester is 50 miles (80 kilometres) northeast of London. It is connected to London by the A12 road and the Great Eastern Main Line railway. Colchester is less than 30 miles (50 km) from London Stansted Airport and 20 miles (30 km) from the port of Harwich . Attractions in and around the city include St Botolph's Priory , Colchester Zoo , and several art galleries. Colchester Castle
1064-457: The 12th century French Arthurian storyteller Chrétien de Troyes ) is most likely a corruption of Camlann , a now unknown location first mentioned in the 10th century Welsh annalistic text Annales Cambriae , identified as the place where Arthur was slain in battle. Soon after the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, a Roman legionary fortress was established, the first in Britain. Later, when
1120-420: The 15th century, it was still a more important place by the 16th century than it had been in the 13th. In 1334 it would not have ranked among England's wealthiest fifty towns, to judge from the taxation levied that year. By 1524, however, it ranked twelfth, as measured by its assessment to a lay subsidy. Between 1550 and 1600, a large number of weavers and clothmakers from Flanders emigrated to Colchester and
1176-441: The 15th century. In this way of interpreting the name, the River Colne which runs through the area takes its name from Colonia as well. Cologne (German Köln ) also gained its name from a similar etymology (from its Roman name Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium ). Other etymologists are confident that the Colne's name is pre-Roman, sharing its origin with several other rivers Colne or Clun around Britain, and that Colchester
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#17327835865481232-689: The Celtic name of the town, Camulodunon appears on coins minted by tribal chieftain Tasciovanus in the period 20–10 BC. Before the Roman conquest of Britain it was already a centre of power for Cunobelin – known to Shakespeare as Cymbeline – king of the Catuvellauni (c. 5 BC – AD 40), who minted coins there. Its Celtic name, Camulodunon, variously represented as CA, CAM, CAMV, CAMVL and CAMVLODVNO on
1288-684: The Colne Valley during the Mesolithic have been discovered, including a tranchet axe from Middlewick. In the 1980s an archaeological inventory showed that over 800 shards of pottery from the Neolithic , Bronze Age and early Iron Age have been found within Colchester, along with many examples of worked flint . This included a pit found at Culver Street containing a ritually placed Neolithic grooved ware pot, as well as find spots containing later Deverel-Rimbury bucket urns . Colchester
1344-468: The Lionheart ), although the wording suggests that it was based on an earlier one. It granted Colchester's burgesses the right to elect bailiffs and a justice . The borough celebrated the 800th anniversary of its charter in 1989. Colchester developed rapidly during the later 14th century as a centre of the woollen cloth industry, and became famous in many parts of Europe for its russets (fabrics of
1400-689: The Luftwaffe. None of these attacks hit their targets, but a raid on 11 August bombed Severalls Hospital , and killed 38 elderly patients. In February 1944 a single raider caused a huge fire in the St Botolph's area which gutted warehouses, shops and part of Paxman's Britannia Works. The total wartime bombing death toll in the borough was 55. The University of Essex was established at Wivenhoe Park in 1961. The £22.7M 8-mile (13-kilometre) A120 Colchester Eastern Bypass opened in June 1982. Colchester and
1456-503: The Roman frontier moved outwards and the twentieth legion had moved to the west (c. AD 49), Camulodunum became a colonia named in a second-century inscription as Colonia Victricensis . This contained a large and elaborate Temple to the Divine Claudius , the largest classical-style temple in Britain, as well as at least seven other Romano-British temples. Colchester is home to two of the five Roman theatres found in Britain;
1512-534: The Roman town was rebuilt after the Boudicca rebellion. In 2004, Colchester Archaeological Trust discovered the remains of a Roman Circus (chariot race track) underneath the Garrison in Colchester, a unique find in Britain. The city reached its peak in the second and third centuries AD. It may have reached a population of 30,000 in that period. In 2014 a hoard of jewellery, known as The Fenwick Hoard, named for
1568-689: The Standard Ironworks. In 1925, Paxman produced its first spring injection oil engine and joined the English Electric Diesel Group in 1966 – later becoming part of the GEC Group. Since the 1930s the Paxman company's main business has been the production of diesel engines . In the early 20th century Colchester lobbied to be the seat for a new Church of England diocese for Essex , to be split off from
1624-608: The base on 107.0FM as part of its UK Bases network. Colchester City Council is the local authority. The Member of Parliament for Colchester is Pam Cox of the Labour Party . The former MP, Liberal Democrat Sir Bob Russell , has held the ceremonial role of High Steward of Colchester since 2015. Colchester houses several museums. The Castle Museum, found within Colchester Castle , features an extensive exhibit on Roman Colchester. Nearby are Hollytrees Museum ,
1680-401: The biblical text Intravit ihc: in quoddam castellum et mulier quedam excepit illum 'Jesus entered a certain castle and a woman there welcomed him' (Luke 10.38). This is a commonplace allegory in which a castle is likened to Mary's womb, and explains the name of Maidenburgh St, neighbouring the castle. In 1189, Colchester was granted its first known royal charter by King Richard I ( Richard
1736-685: The club entered the Football League in 1950, originally playing home games at their former Layer Road stadium until 2008. The club reached its highest league finish of 10th place in the Championship in 2006-07 , and were one of the few teams to win the Watney Cup , in 1971. A12 road (England) Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
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1792-484: The coins of Cunobelinus, means 'the fortress of [the war god] Camulos '. During the 30s AD Camulodunon controlled a large swathe of Southern and Eastern Britain, with Cunobelin called " King of the Britons " by Roman writers. Camulodunon is sometimes popularly considered one of many possible sites around Britain for the legendary (perhaps mythical ) Camelot of King Arthur, though the name Camelot (first mentioned by
1848-405: The concept of the exhibition". Ai said he thought the reason for the rejection was that the exhibition did not "want to touch on a topic like Assange". Colchester Colchester ( / ˈ k ɒ l tʃ ɛ s t ər , ˈ k oʊ l -, - tʃ ɪ s t -/ KO(H)L -chest-ər, -chist- ) is a city in northeastern Essex , England. It is the second-largest settlement in
1904-474: The county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 Census . The demonym is Colcestrian . Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum , the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colchester therefore claims to be Britain's first city. It has been an important military base since the Roman era , with Colchester Garrison currently housing the 16th Air Assault Brigade . On
1960-524: The example at Gosbecks (site of the Iron Age royal farmstead) is the largest in Britain , able to seat 5,000. Camulodunum served as a provincial Roman capital of Britain, but was attacked and destroyed during Boudica 's rebellion in AD 61. Sometime after the destruction, London became the capital of the province of Britannia . Colchester's city walls c. 3,000 yd. long were built c.65–80 A.D. when
2016-495: The existing Diocese of Rochester . The bid was unsuccessful, with county town Chelmsford forming the seat of the new diocese . In the 2nd World War Colchester's main significance lay in its infantry and light-anti-aircraft training units, and in the Paxman factory, which supplied a large proportion of the engines for British submarines and landing craft. Occasionally hit by stray single German aircraft in 1940 and 1941, in 1942 more serious attempts to bomb its industries were made by
2072-493: The inaugural exhibition Camulodunum. The Daily Telegraph has criticized the expense of the project, which cost £25,542,701 to build, and also highlighted concerns that more than half of its 147,000 annual visitors only entered to use the lavatory. In 2015 Firstsite had its status as an Arts Council funded National Portfolio Organisation withdrawn. The Arts Council consequently reduced their annual subsidy to Firstsite by £10 per year from £814,527 to £814,517. In February 2018 it
2128-657: The monumental façade of the precinct of the Temple of Claudius were discovered behind the High Street, with plans to make them visible to the public. Opened in 1972, the Mercury Theatre is a repertory theatre. Located nearby is Colchester Arts Centre , a multi-function arts venue located in the former St Mary-at-the-Walls church, and home of the Colchester Beer Festival. The Headgate Theatre
2184-537: The name Camelot of Arthurian legend was probably a reference to Camulodunum , the capital of Britannia in Roman times. The archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler was the first to propose that the lack of early Anglo-Saxon finds in a triangle between London, Colchester and St Albans could indicate a 'sub-Roman triangle' where British rule continued after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons. Since then excavations have revealed some early Saxon occupation, including
2240-642: The name with King Coel has no academic merit. The gravel hill upon which Colchester is built was formed in the Middle Pleistocene period, and was shaped into a terrace between the Anglian glaciation and the Ipswichian glaciation by an ancient precursor to the River Colne . From these deposits Palaeolithic flint tools , including at least six Acheulian handaxes , have been found. Further flint tools made by hunter gatherers living in
2296-581: The region. The building is owned by the Victor Batte-Lay Foundation. There are several bars with live music. In 2009, an art collective called 'Slack Space' took up some of the closed-down shops in the centre and converted them into art galleries with the hope of promoting art and design. The Colchester School of Art, opened in 1885, is based in the Colchester Institute , near the centre. A film festival, showcasing
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2352-498: The shop it was found beneath, was discovered in the town centre. The director of Colchester Archaeological Trust, Philip Crummy, described the hoard as being of "national importance and one of the finest ever uncovered in Britain". There is evidence of hasty re-organisation of Colchester's defences around 268–82 AD, followed later, during the fourth century, by the blocking of the Balkerne Gate. John Morris suggested that
2408-510: The summer. Snow falls on average 13 days a year during winter and early spring. The highest temperature recorded in Colchester was 36.1 °C (97 °F) in August 2003 (during the 2003 European heat wave ), and the lowest was −9.4 °C (15 °F) in December 2010. Colchester has been an important military garrison since the Roman era. The Colchester Garrison is currently home to
2464-608: The surrender document in the Kings Head Inn) and Charles Lucas and George Lisle were executed in the grounds of Colchester Castle . A small obelisk marks the spot where they fell. Daniel Defoe mentions in A tour through England and Wales that the town lost 5259 people to the plague in 1665, "more in proportion than any of its neighbours, or than the city of London" . By the time he wrote this in 1722, however, he estimated its population to be around 40,000 (including "out-villages"). Between 1797 and 1815 Colchester
2520-570: The surrounding area is currently undergoing significant regeneration, including controversial greenfield residential development in Mile End and Braiswick. At the time of the 2011 UK Census , Colchester and its surrounding built up area had a population of 121,859 , marking a considerable rise from the previous census and with considerable development since 2001 and ongoing building plans; it has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. The local football team, Colchester United, moved into
2576-532: The surrounding areas. They were famed for the production of "Bays and Says" cloths which were woven from wool and are normally associated with baize and serge although surviving examples show that they were rather different from their modern equivalents. An area in Colchester town centre is still known as the Dutch Quarter and many buildings there date from the Tudor period. During this period Colchester
2632-591: The town, which it calls Cair Colun , in a list of the thirty most important cities in Britain. Colchester was in the area assigned to the Danelaw in c.880, and remained in Danish hands until 917 when it was besieged and recaptured by the army of Edward the Elder . The tenth-century Saxons called the town Colneceastre , which is directly equivalent to the Cair Colun of 'Nennius'. The tower of Holy Trinity Church
2688-668: The wetter places in Essex. Colchester is generally regarded as having an Oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ) like the rest of the United Kingdom. Its easterly position within the British Isles makes Colchester less prone to Atlantic depressions and weather fronts but more prone to droughts. This is because, like most areas in southeast England, Colchester's weather is influenced more by Continental weather patterns than by Atlantic weather systems. This leads to
2744-518: Was announced that Firstsite had returned to Arts Council 'National Portfolio Organisation' status despite having only recorded 131,663 visitors in the previous year and having made a loss of £243,000. The return to 'National Portfolio Organisation' status for Firstsite saw an increase in funding of £5 per year, to £814,512 per year, secured for four years. On 22 March 2018 it was announced Dr Noorzaman Rashid, Robert Surnam and Helen Organ resigned from their roles as trustees at Firstsite. In 2021, Ai Weiwei
2800-532: Was attacked by a large crowd. In 1648, during the Second English Civil War , a Royalist army led by Lord Goring entered the town. A pursuing Parliamentary army led by Thomas Fairfax and Henry Ireton surrounded the town for eleven and a half weeks, a period known as the Siege of Colchester . It started on 13 June. The Royalists surrendered in the late summer (on 27 August Lord Goring signed
2856-426: Was awarded the national Art Fund Museum of the Year prize in 2021. Firstsite is a registered charity under English law. The gallery's opening received a considerable evaluation in the press. The Guardian criticized the sloping walls and the architect, Viñoly. It also examined it in terms of the economic expectations towards it and in comparison with other regional galleries. However, The Independent praised
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#17327835865482912-591: Was constructed in the eleventh century on earlier Roman foundations; it now contains a museum. The main campus of the University of Essex is located between Colchester and Wivenhoe . Local government is the responsibility of the City of Colchester and Essex County Council . There are several theories about the origin of the name Colchester . Some contend that is derived from the Latin words colonia (referring to
2968-494: Was invited to submit a piece for the virtual UK art exhibition The Great Big Art Exhibition , which was organised by Firstsite. Ai's piece, called Postcard for Political Prisoners , incorporated a photograph of the running machine used by Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy. After initially accepting Ai's idea, Firstsite's director said that it could not include his project "due to time constraints, and because it did not fit with
3024-433: Was made public, with Colchester receiving city status dated 5 September 2022 by the late Queen. Colchester officially received city status on 23 November 2022. Colchester was visited by King Charles III on 7 March 2023, in order to congratulate Colchester on receiving city status. Colchester is in one of the driest regions of the United Kingdom with average annual precipitation at 635 mm (25.0 inches), although among
3080-533: Was one of the most prosperous wool towns in England, and was also famed for its oysters . Flemish refugees in the 1560s brought innovations that revived the local cloth trade, establishing the Dutch Bay Hall for quality control of the textiles for which Colchester became famous. The old Roman wall runs along Northgate Street in the Dutch Quarter. In the reign of "Bloody Mary" (1553–1558) Colchester became
3136-670: Was the HQ of the Army's Eastern District, had a garrison of up to 6,000, and played a main role in defence against a threatened French or Dutch invasion, At various times it was the base of such celebrated officers as Lord Cornwallis, Generals Sir James Craig and David Baird, and Captain William Napier. It was in a state of alarm during the invasion threat of 1803/4, a period well chronicled by the contemporary local author Jane Taylor. Significant Victorian landmarks include Colchester Town Hall ,
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