Colchester Museums

There were plans submitted to keep the facade and transform it into a hotel last we heard.

DND night!

A colour photo of a boarded-up cinema building with a weathered, white Art Deco façade and a large blue canopy. Red brick buildings stand further along the street.

Renamed the Odeon in 1961, the building entertained Colchester audiences for decades before closing in 2002. Today, it stands empty but striking, its faded Art Deco frontage a reminder of Colchester's golden age of cinema.

A black and white photo of a three-storey brick building on a street corner, with sash windows and large chimneys. A small sign advertises meals, and another shows the property is to let.

Our #ThrowbackThursday image showed Dr Renny's House in Crouch Street in February of 1930. It was a fine Georgian building that once offered meals and lodgings. Just a year later, it was replaced by The Regal cinema, which opened in 1931.

A black and white photo of a three-storey brick building on a street corner, with sash windows and large chimneys. A small sign advertises meals, and another shows the property is to let.

It's #ThrowbackThursday time! Can you place this impressive corner building? Whilst no longer standing today, the area still has some familiar faces. Have a guess and swing back later for the reveal!

A close-up view of a suspended dragon sculpture shows intricate detail in its design, featuring a textured body of blue and turquoise scales and a striking orange eye with a vertical black pupil. The dragon's wings are crafted from blue fabric with orange undersides, creating a vivid contrast. Suspension wires are visible, supporting the installation. Overlay text promotes the "Mythical Creatures" exhibition at Colchester Castle, running from 26 July 2025 to 22 February 2026. The Colchester Castle logo appears in the bottom left, and photo credit to Tom Archer is noted in the top right corner.

Just 4 weeks left to face fire-breathers, horned guardians, and deep-sea legends.

Mythical Creatures leaves Colchester Castle on 22 February. Don’t miss your chance to wander through centuries of story: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

A museum display filled with Roman pottery, metal objects, and other archaeological artefacts arranged on clear stands. Bowls, pots, fragments, and decorative pieces are grouped together under bright lighting. Large white text is overlaid across the top of the image, reading “From temple to castle.”

A display of archaeological tools and objects arranged on a sandy surface, including metal picks, a small board with a grid and blue counters, a white ceramic vessel, and a bronze jug. A purple checkered cloth rests near a wooden structure at the top of the image. Large white text overlays the scene, reading “Stories beneath the stone.”

Planning a visit? Start with Colchester Castle and see the archaeology for yourself. More in the Colchester Gazette: www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/2577684...

Display shelves featuring Roman glass vessels of various shapes and colours, each labelled with small black number tags. Large white text is overlaid across the image, reading “Capital of Roman Britain.”

A museum gallery with Roman stone reliefs displayed against an exposed brick and stone wall. Two large carved figures stand upright in illuminated cases, alongside smaller artefacts in glass displays. Large white text overlays the scene, reading “See Romans up close.”

Colchester has just been named one of Britain’s most beautiful Roman towns and cities.

From the Temple of Claudius beneath Colchester Castle to the Roman circus and Balkerne Gate, the town’s Roman story is still written into its streets, walls and underground spaces.

Agh, having a mare with them! Try again now that I've followed you back.

Are you a podcaster, blogger, illustrator, artist, or general history nerd who likes collaborating?

We’re always up for working with creative people on projects around Colchester Museums.

If that sounds like you, say hello 👋 or drop into our DMs.

It's always a treat to see people enjoying the tours as much as we like to give them!

Never too late to change. ;)

Now THAT is a level of historic in-jokes that we are all about!

Better keep an eye on that coin - the dragon does like a shiny...

We do some murder mystery shows and escape rooms too!

If you were willing to foot the bill for just two, it could be done!

This would be fun for a writers' retreat.

Just think of the story ideas you'd get from the history we talk about!

Who fancies a sleepover in a castle's jail?

Fancy a sleepover in Colchester Castle?

A perfect match!

Close-up of a plush toy resting inside an orange and black sleeping bag, with a white pillow behind it. The background shows wooden walls and a barred window with turquoise light filtering through. Large text at the top reads: “Private Castle sleepovers.” At the bottom, there is a Colchester Castle logo and contact details: “Enquire: 01206 282939, museums@colchester.gov.uk.”

Sleep inside Colchester Castle! A private experience for schools and organised groups. Explore the Castle after hours, including spaces not usually open to the public, then settle in for a night inside this historic building.

📞 01206 282939
📧 museums@colchester.gov.uk

Axiell Internet Server 6 | Details [eb-GB]Axiell Internet Server is a complete application to make the collections of archives, museums and libraries accessible over the internet. Axiell Internet Server is an add-on to the…

We do not know what the letter inside once said, but the envelope has survived as a quiet reminder of how news and sympathy travelled by post.

See more of Colchester’s postal past in our Online Collections: cim-web.adlibhosting.com/ais6/Details...

In the corner is a Penny Red stamp, the everyday successor to the famous Penny Black. Issued between 1841 and 1879, it turned up on billions of letters, yet here that small profile of Queen Victoria sits on a single, very personal moment.

A worn black-edged envelope with a handwritten address in cursive script. The envelope is addressed to “Miss L. M…” at Barrack Street, Colchester. It bears a red postage stamp featuring a profile of Queen Victoria and is postmarked “Epsom.” The envelope shows signs of age, including creases, stains, and torn edges.

Before you even read the name, the black border told you someone had died.

This mourning envelope was posted in 1870 and sent to Philip Moore of Barrack Street. In Victorian Britain, even stationery followed the etiquette of grief, edged in black to signal a death in the family.

Anytime Events | Colchester Museums From party packages to sleepovers, we offer a range of experiences all year-round, which can be tailored to your groups needs. Find out more and enquire today!

Private sleepovers are designed for schools, families, clubs and organised groups. Ages 5 plus, from £17.50 per person. To enquire, contact the team on 01206 282939 or museums@colchester.gov.uk For more details, visit colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/anytime-events

A sleepover in the Castle’s old gaol might sound like something from a story, but for some groups it’s a real night away. After the doors close, you get torchlit tales, then unroll sleeping bags right where people once spent the night for very different reasons.

A promotional graphic for a Colchester Castle Gaming Evening. On the left, white text on a dark background reads: “Gaming Evening. Bring a game and a group of friends for a unique evening! Suitable for ages 11+. 27 February, 6 PM–10 PM. Starts at £15 pp,” with a link to the Colchester Museums events webpage. The Colchester Castle logo appears at the top. On the right, a close-up photograph shows a colourful board game set up with red, green, yellow, and blue playing pieces, white dice, cards, and an hourglass arranged on the game board, suggesting a relaxed and social gaming experience in the museum.

Board game night is back at Colchester Castle with Ace Comics. Bring a board game or RPG, grab a table for up to six, and play after hours among the galleries: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/gamin...

What’s your first game of the night?