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Colchester Castle is a Norman castle in Colchester, Essex, England, dating from the second half of the eleventh century. The keep of the castle is mostly intact and is the largest example of its kind anywhere in Europe, due to its being built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius .
The Normans referred to the Temple as King Coel's Palace and to the barbican of Balkerne Gate as Colkyng's Castle, reflecting a myth that continued into the medieval period, and was recorded in the Colchester Chronicle (written in the 13th or early 14th century at St John's Abbey), that the Roman town was founded by a warlord called Coel.
Today, it forms the base of the Norman Colchester Castle. [1] [4] It is one of at least eight Roman-era pagan temples in Colchester, [5] and was the largest temple of its kind in Roman Britain; [1] [4] its current remains potentially represent the earliest existing Roman stonework in the country. [4]
The Castle Museum, found within Colchester Castle, features an extensive exhibit on Roman Colchester. Nearby are Hollytrees Museum , 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.
Colchester was the largest town in Essex throughout the entire Middle Ages and was initially the principal town of the county, [35] with its castle being home to the High Sheriff of Essex and the County Jail. [35]
In 1078 King William used Gundulf's skill in the construction of the White Tower: the keep of the Tower of London, he was described as "competent and skilled at building in stone and was the principle overseer and surveyor of the White Tower of London"; [4] also the castle at Colchester which was started around 1080.
The building 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. [5]
Pages in category "History of Colchester" The following 21 pages are in this category, out of 21 total. ... Colchester Castle; Colchester Corporation Tramways;