Siege of Colchester

Lion Walk Shopping Centre, or simply Lion Walk is the largest and primary outdoor mall in Colchester, Essex. A route from Eld Lane to the Red Lion inn, originally called Cat Lane, has existed since at least 1748, and has been known as Lion Walk since 1957. Archaeological excavations on the site in the early 1970s uncovered Roman-era artefacts, including mosaic floors—one of which depicted a walking lion. Housing in the area was demolished to create space for the shopping centre which opened in 1976: of the older buildings, only the church dating from 1863 was retained. The centre underwent a £20 million revamp in 2009, which included removing a bridge that once linked units in Culver Street East and Culver Walk. In March 2025, the Shopping Centre reported 100% occupancy.

Colchester in Essex, England, has a number of notable churches.

St Martin's Church is an active Orthodox church, in the Antiochian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland, in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. The church stands in the centre of the city, near the town hall.

Colchester Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Colchester, Essex, England. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Colchester City Council, is a Grade I listed building.

St Helen's Chapel is an Eastern Orthodox church in Colchester, Essex, under the jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland, headed by Metropolitan Silouan Oner.

Fenwick Colchester is a large high street department store situated in Colchester, Essex, England, formerly known as Williams & Griffin (1963–2016). Independent for much of its history, it was formed from the merger of H.E. Williams & Co Ltd (an ironmonger and agricultural machinery business) and another Colchester family business, H.L. Griffin & Co Ltd (a furnishings store), in April 1963. In 2007, Williams & Griffin won "Best Independent Department Store of the Year", sponsored by Drapers. The store was sold in March 2008 to the Fenwick chain of department stores. Current departments include beauty, fashion, toys, gifts, housewares and furniture, as well as top-floor restaurant Carluccio's.

Camulodunum (; Latin: CAMVLODVNVM), the Ancient Roman name for what is now Colchester in Essex, was an important castrum and city in Roman Britain, and the first capital of the province. A temporary "strapline" in the 1960s identifying it as the "oldest recorded town in Britain" has become popular with residents and is still used on heritage roadsigns on trunk road approaches. Originally the site of the Brythonic-Celtic oppidum of Camulodunon (meaning "stronghold of Camulos"), capital of the Trinovantes and later the Catuvellauni tribes, it was first mentioned by name on coinage minted by the chieftain Tasciovanus some time between 20 and 10 BC. The Roman town began life as a Roman legionary base constructed in the AD 40s on the site of the Brythonic-Celtic fortress following its conquest by the Emperor Claudius. After the early town was destroyed during the Iceni rebellion in AD 60/61, it was rebuilt, reaching its zenith in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. During this time it was known by its official name Colonia Claudia Victricensis (COLONIA CLAVDIA VICTRICENSIS), often shortened to Colonia Victricensis, and as Camulodunum, a Latinised version of its original Brythonic name. The town was home to a large classical temple, two theatres (including Britain's largest), several Romano-British temples, Britain's only known chariot circus, Britain's first town walls, several large cemeteries and over 50 known mosaics and tessellated pavements. It may have reached a population of 30,000 at its height.

The Albert Hall is a commercial building in the High Street, Colchester, Essex, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange and is now used as a bank, is a Grade II listed building.

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, Colchester. The castle endured a three-month siege in 1216, but had fallen into disrepair by the seventeenth century when the curtain walls and some of the keep's upper parts were demolished; its original height is debated. The remaining structure was used as a prison and was partially restored as a large garden pavilion, but was purchased by Colchester Borough Council in 1922. The castle has since 1860 housed Colchester Museum, which has an important collection of Roman exhibits. It is a scheduled monument and a Grade I listed building.

The Temple of Claudius (Lat. Templum Claudii) or Temple of the Deified Claudius (Lat. Templum Divi Claudii) was a large octastyle temple built in Camulodunum, the modern Colchester in Essex. The main building was constructed between 49 and 60 AD, although additions were built throughout the Roman-era. Today, it forms the base of the Norman Colchester Castle. It is one of at least eight Roman-era pagan temples in Colchester, and was the largest temple of its kind in Roman Britain; its current remains potentially represent the earliest existing Roman stonework in the country.

Colchester ( KOHL-cheh-stər) is a city in Essex, England. It is the third-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 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 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.

The City of Colchester is a local government district with city status in Essex, England, named after its main settlement, Colchester. The district also includes the towns of West Mersea and Wivenhoe and the surrounding rural areas stretching from Dedham Vale on the Suffolk border in the north to Mersea Island in the Colne Estuary in the south. The neighbouring districts are Maldon, Braintree, Babergh, and Tendring.