open: The castle fell into ruin in the In 1215, the castle was besieged and eventually captured by King John, following the altercation with rebellious nobles that eventually led to the Magna Carta. In 1922, the Castle and the associated parkland were given to the Town. Colchester Castle experienced little military action during its history. [12], The defences of the bailey consisted principally of a large earthen rampart and ditch surrounding the keep, the northern section of which survives but was heavily landscaped in the 19th century. They built first a Legionary fortress and then a colony for veteran soldiers on the site. The main building was constructed between 49 and 60 CE, although additions were built throughout the Roman-era. The Castle was a royal fortress throughout the Norman period. The castle has since 1860 housed Colchester Museum, which has an important collection of Roman exhibits. Colchester was a substantial Iron Age fortified settlement and the first target of the Romans when they invaded in AD 43. The Normans built the castle over the ruined Roman Temple of Claudius, built when Colchester was the first Roman capital of Britain. Then in the 1740’s Charles Gray began to restore the castle. The Montalts later sold the castle to Queen Isabella, who lived there after her fall from power in 1330. It is not known precisely when construction of Colchester Castle began, but it was probably started in the 1070s or 1080s on the orders of William the Conqueror. [4] [5] [6] The enormous size of the keep was dictated by the decision to use the masonry base or podium of the Temple of Claudius, built between AD 49 and 60, which was the largest Roman temple in Britain. Colchester Castle Built By A Colony Of Romans As A Temple To Their Deified Emperor, Claudius Caesar (1853) [Jenkins, Henry] on Amazon.com. In the 1870s the castle's owner, the Duke of Buccleuch, carried out extensive restoration work and erected outworks to protect it against further damage from the sea. Sea erosion began to cause significant damage to the castle in the early 19th century. Faced with a lack of good quality building stone, the Normans used the ruins of Roman Colchester to provide most of the brick and stone that they needed. He created a private park around the ruin and his summer house (perched on the old Norman castle earthworks, in the shape of a Roman temple) can still be seen. pp. The walls are made of coursed rubble, including septaria and Roman brick robbed from nearby ruins. Debates have continued through history as to the original height of the Keep. in Europe. Colchester Castle in Colchester, Essex, England, is an example of a largely complete Norman castle. Treasures of China Exhibition at Colchester Castle, - Treasures of China Exhibition at Colchester Castle, Popular Colchester Museums « colchestermuseums, Reduced Entrance Fee  – Disabled visitors and a carer; full-time students 17+; welfare benefit recipients; and serving Military personnel – proof of reduced entrance fee status required and may be requested on entry) – £4.75, Saver ticket (great for families!) [1] The somewhat unreliable Colchester Chronicle, written in the late 13th century, credits Eudo with the construction of the castle and gives a commencement date of 1076. It seems likely that either a financial or military crisis dictated that the partly completed keep had to be made defensible. Today it forms the base of the Norman Colchester Castle. In 1727 the castle was bought by Mary Webster for her daughter Sarah, who was married to Charles Gray, the Member of Parliament for Colchester. This may be the "new bailey" mentioned in 1173, or perhaps the masonry walls of the main or "upper" bailey which were in place by 1182. By 1337, the castle was increasingly ruinous and used primarily as a gaol and to host judicial assizes. The second phase of construction from about 1106 was entrusted to Eudo, who served the first three Norman kings as Steward of Normandy. [17] The southern embankment seems to have been completed during the second phase of keep construction around 1100. The castle also boasts the largest stone spiral staircase in The keep of the castle is mostly intact and is the largest example of its kind anywhere in Europe, due to it being built on the foundations of a Roman temple. Colchester Castle is a Norman castle in Colchester, Essex, England, dating from the second half of the eleventh century. transport: In 1135, a major Welsh revolt took place, and in response King Stephen brought together Grosmont Castle and its sister fortifications of Skenfrith and White Castle to form a lordship known as the "Three Castles", which continued to play a role in defending the region from Welsh attack for several centuries.