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76-641: According to tradition, the Three Collas killed their uncle, Fíacha Sroiptine , at the Battle of Dubhchomar, in Crioch Rois, Breagh , with Colla Uais taking the kingship. It was prophesied that whoever killed them, his descendants would never rule Ireland. Colla Uais ruled in Fíacha's place for three years (323-326 AD), and as High-King of Ireland for four years, until Fiacha's son Muiredach Tirech banished

152-555: 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

228-560: A Loyalist counter-offensive. By 31 March, the frontline had stabilised between Brega and Ajdabiya , with rebel forces launching numerous attacks on the town , which all resulted in hasty retreats. Eventually after pushing the Loyalists back from Ajdabiya, the rebels once again launched an assault on the strategic oil town. On 16 July 2011, it was reported that the rebels appeared to have taken Brega. However, Reuters later reported ten rebels were killed and 172 wounded, and confirmed that

304-511: 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

380-498: 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

456-408: 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

532-611: 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

608-1000: A mutation that occurred very roughly around 450 AD. This differs from the R-M222 haplogroup of testers with surnames descended from the Uí Néill and the Connachta. The historical interpretation by Donald Schlegel is consistent with recent Y-DNA analysis. In 2020, a study of 466 testers with Z3008 Y-DNA found that 232 have 20 surnames found in ancient Irish genealogies descended from the Three Collas. The 232 testers are composed of 53 McDonald, 43 McMahon, 23 McKenna, 17 MacCan, 17 Duffy, 12 McGuire, 8 Hughes, 8 McQuillan, 8 Monaghan, 7 Boylan, 5 Hart, 5 Kelly, 4 Higgins, 4 McArdle, 4 MacDougall, 3 Carroll, 3 Cooley, 3 Larkin, 3 Neal, 2 Devine. Brega Brega / ˈ b r eɪ ɡ ə / , also known as Mersa Brega or Marsa al-Brega ( Arabic : مرسى البريقة Marsā al Burayqah , i.e. "Brega Seaport"),

684-694: 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,

760-573: 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

836-628: A theory advanced by T. F. O'Rahilly , the traditional story of the Three Collas is not historical, although it has a basis in history. O'Rahilly argues that the breaking of the power of the Ulaid, the destruction of Emain Macha and the establishment of the kingdoms of the Airgialla were actually accomplished by the three sons of Niall Noígiallach , Conall , Endae and Eógan , who established the kingdoms of Tir Eógan and Tir Conaill in north-western Ulster in

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912-462: Is a city in northeastern Essex , England. It is the second-largest settlement in 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

988-711: Is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra , the most southerly point of the Mediterranean Sea . It is located in the former Ajdabiya District , which in 2007 was merged into the Al Wahat District . The town is the center of Libya's second-largest hydro-carbon complex. During the First Libyan Civil War ,

1064-619: 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

1140-733: 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

1216-412: Is pre-Roman, sharing its origin with several other rivers Colne or Clun around Britain, and that Colchester 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

1292-572: 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

1368-583: 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

1444-647: 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

1520-573: 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

1596-658: The Roman era , with Colchester Garrison currently housing the 16th Air Assault Brigade . On 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

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1672-604: The Trinovantes of Britain. He claims that Trinovantes mistranslated by Ollams into Irish could have produced the name Airgíalla , the name given to the territory the Three Collas conquered in Ulster. In regards to Colla, it may derive from the names Coill or Coel, both of which Geoffrey Keating mentioned in the area the Trinovantes lived, Camulodunum (modern-day Colchester ). Note: This family tree does not reflect

1748-458: The 10th century, with the modern spelling of Colchester being found in 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

1824-406: 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

1900-420: 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

1976-468: The Airgíalla, son of Colla Fo Chrí, the foster-father of Cormac mac Airt , who according to the usual chronology was his own great great grandfather, and an alternative tradition dated the fall of Emain Macha to 450. The sixth century female saint, Derchairthinn , associated with Oughter Ard near Straffan , County Kildare , was said to be "of the race of Colla Uais, Monarch of Érinn". According to

2052-689: 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

2128-536: The Collas should have territory of their own, and sent them to conquer Ulster . With an army drawn from Connacht , they fought seven battles in a week against the Ulaid at Achaidh Leithdeircc , killing Fergus Foga , king of Ulster, in the seventh. Colla Menn also died in this battle. They burned Emain Macha , the Ulster capital, after which it was abandoned, and seized substantial territories in mid-Ulster, thought to be

2204-684: 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

2280-743: The Colne. The identification of Colonia with Colchester is doubtful." The popular association of 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

2356-468: 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

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2432-689: 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

2508-503: 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;

2584-579: The Roman style naming convention of personal name followed by family name followed by an epithet. This may reflect their alleged "return" from exile in Alba , which at the traditional time of their story—the 4th-century—was part of the Roman Empire . Schlegel suggests that being put in command of 300 soldiers may have meant that were centurions in the Roman army. Schlegel also argues that the Three Collas, along with their name "Colla", may have descended from

2660-534: 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

2736-689: 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

2812-529: The Three Collas, exiling them and three hundred followers to Alba ( Scotland ). The mother of Three Collas was said to be Ailech, the daughter of Udhaire, king of Alba. According to Keating's version Udhaire put them in command of three hundred warriors. After that they returned to Ireland, hoping that Muiredach might kill them, and deprive his descendants of the throne. But Muiredach knew of the prophecy, and despite knowing they had killed his father, took them into his service. After several years, Muiredach decided

2888-455: The aircraft's ice protection system . The town is the site of an important oil refinery and serves as a major export hub for Libyan oil, being one of five oil terminals in the eastern half of Libya. The oil refinery belongs to and is run by Sirte Oil Company , a subsidiary of the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC). Sirte Oil Company is based in Brega. During the 1960s and 1970s, it

2964-608: 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 ,

3040-409: The battle was still ongoing. Rebel radio reports said that after three days of heavy fighting, aided by substantial NATO bombing, rebel units had bypassed the town – cutting off the garrison from its supply lines. Libya's opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) said on 16 July that they were preparing to enter the oil refinery town of Brega "within days", even as they suffered heavy casualties in

3116-401: 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

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3192-529: The city include St Botolph's Priory , Colchester Zoo , and several art galleries. Colchester Castle 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

3268-484: 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

3344-524: 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

3420-495: 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

3496-543: The fact the DNA data of Colla descendants does not match that of Eochaid Mugmedón descendants, namely those of Niall of the Nine Hostages who bear the widely-distributed M222 mutation. In 2007, Josiah McGuire discovered that male DNA testers with surnames historically associated with the Three Collas in ancient pedigrees had the same Y-chromosome DNA. This Y-DNA is passed down from father to son like surnames. Included among

3572-537: The inhabitants remained for a while living outside of Brega (i.e. in Ajdabiya) and commuting daily to check on their property and houses. On 13 January 2000, a Short 360 aircraft leased by the Sirte Oil Company crashed 21 kilometres (13 mi) off the coast, resulting in 22 fatalities. The crash is thought to have occurred after the plane's engines were flooded with melting ice, after failure to engage

3648-480: The local council, the eastern part of the town of Brega was controlled by the AGF by 11 August, and by 17 August all three zones of Brega (residential, oil refinery, administrative) were under the control of the AGF. The UN Inter-Agency mission to Brega on 8 September accessed the residential (Old Brega) zone and visited the heavily damaged Al-Najm University of Technology. Population slowly started to return, although most of

3724-434: The mid-5th century. He believes the Three Collas are literary doublets of the three sons of Niall, their story a genealogical fiction intended to give the tributary kingdoms of the Airgialla a noble pedigree. This theory is followed by more recent historians, including Francis J. Byrne , and Dáibhí Ó Cróinín . Donald Schlegel claims the brothers' tripartite names to be the only examples in ancient Ireland of brothers using

3800-657: 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

3876-537: 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

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3952-478: The offensive. There was heavy NATO bombardment on the morning of 17 July, during which warplanes destroyed a large military vehicle storage area in Tajura, 30 kilometres east of Tripoli, that consisted of several substantial warehouses containing various military vehicles including battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers and ammunition. This was followed by intense street fighting in the town's northeastern area, with

4028-472: The origin of the kingdom of Airgíalla . The chronology of Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn dates Colla Uais' High Kingship to 306–310. The Annals of the Four Masters dates his High Kingship to 322–326, and his destruction of Emain Macha and conquest of Ulster to 331. However, the chronology of early Irish historical tradition is regarded by historians as artificial. One story makes Fiachra Cassán of

4104-561: The origin of the name Colchester . Some contend that is derived from the Latin words colonia (referring to 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

4180-586: The port, equally two kilometres north of the airport, lies "Area 1". Some 6 kilometres to the east, on the other side of the hydro-carbon complex, lies "Area 2". The original settlement of Brega, now partially abandoned, lies some kilometres to the south, to the south of the highway linking western and eastern Libya. 10 kilometres to the north-east of "Area 2" lies "New Brega", a purpose-built residential area for oil workers. Between "Area 2" and "New Brega" (with much sand between them) lies "Al-Najm University of Technology" ("Bright Star University of Technology"), which

4256-413: The rebels using heavy machine guns. On the morning of 18 July, it was reported that Gaddafi's forces were in full retreat and that the rebels were clearing land mines before securing the entire town. Before midday, the rebels claimed victory in the battle. On 23 July, the rebels were still clearing mines while facing "negligible" resistance from a small remaining force of Gaddafi loyalists. According to

4332-433: The refinery and oil terminal is known as Brega. The town was built in pre-fabricated concrete parts and designed by Greek architect and urban planner Konstantinos Apostolos Doxiadis . The town has about 7,000 inhabitants. In reality, Brega consists of several urban settlements, several kilometres apart, mainly divided between Old Brega (or "Western Brega") and New Brega (or "Eastern Brega"). Adjacent to and south-west of

4408-581: 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

4484-435: 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

4560-401: 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

4636-404: The surnames were McDonald and McMahon. Six McDonald testers have traced their ancestry back to an ancient McDonald pedigree that goes back to Colla Uais. Two McMahon testers have traced their ancestry McMahon pedigree that goes back to Colla Crioch. In 2009, a public project was started at Family Tree DNA for testers who have Colla DNA. The testers with Colla DNA belong to a haplogroup named R-Z3008,

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4712-544: 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

4788-514: 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

4864-418: 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

4940-507: The terminal had left, following rumours that the regime of Muammar Gaddafi was going to bomb the plant. Brega is the starting point of the 670 km (420 mi) Brega-Khoms Intisar gas pipeline. During Libyan Civil War 2011, Marsa Brega Airport was damaged and inoperable. Marsa Brega Airport resumed operation in December 2013. 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- )

5016-534: The town and oil production facilities. Government forces attempted to regain control of the area on 2 March, but were repulsed by the rebels . On 15 March, government forces retook Brega during their initial counter-offensive, as the disorganised rebel forces were crushed by the Loyalist's heavy weapons and air power. On 26 March, after the UN imposed a no-fly zone which removed the threat of Loyalist air attacks, rebels advanced rapidly, taking Brega back from Gaddafi's forces but were quickly forced to retreat after

5092-430: The town quickly fell to the Libyan opposition . Government forces attempted to capture the town on 2 March but were repelled; their attack on 13 March was successful, though rebels later recaptured it on 26 March. In April the rebels were again driven out of Brega, and a several-month long stalemate ensued. On 11 August 2011, the rebels claimed they had retaken the eastern part of Brega. The assigned settlement near

5168-426: 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

5244-413: The way for Rommel 's drive to the Egyptian border and encirclement of Tobruk . During the Libyan Civil War , Brega found itself in the middle of numerous clashes between rebel and loyalist forces, as the front line shifted rapidly in each direction. By the middle of April, the town had changed hands six times in less than two months. Early on in the uprising, anti-government forces gained control of

5320-489: 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

5396-405: 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

5472-750: Was founded in 1981. Brega lies surrounded by the Sabkhat Ghuzayyil a large, dry region below sea level. Brega was the location of a brief but important battle in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War . On 31 March 1941, during the opening phase of Rommel's first offensive , the German Afrika Korps expelled the British from their partially prepared positions at Marsa Brega. This opened

5548-497: 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

5624-596: 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

5700-529: Was run in partnership with the international oil company Esso . By the early 80’s, Esso had left, passing full control over to the Sirte Oil Company. During the Libyan civil war, oil export and activities at the oil refinery have been brought to a standstill. By the end of February, throughput at the oil terminal had diminished from 90,000 barrels of crude oil daily to a mere 11,000. Many employees at

5776-670: 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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