Colchester was Britain’s first Roman City and Britain’s oldest recorded town.
Colchester is a very historical town. In the years 1550 – 1600 weavers and cloth makers were in production and made the town wealthy and well known. During the 18th century it had a regular Colchester to London stagecoach service and John Constable, one of the UK’s most famous artists was born in nearby East Berghott. In 1803 the town’s residents were told to move away because of the impending French Invasion. In 1835 Charles Dickens became a newspaper reporter in Colchester. 1843 saw the railway connecting London to Colchester open and six years later the Chappel Viaduct was built, it has 32 arches and is 325m length.
The town has had a military background since the 1800’s and Colchester Garrison is one of Britain’s major army bases.
Colchester has a lot of fine architecture and is best known for its Victorian buildings.
This town claims to be where the nursery rhymes, Humpty Dumpty and Olde King Cole originated and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was written in the towns Dutch Quarter.
Colchester is known for its castle that was originally a Norman Keep.
Colchester has a good climate with the lowest rainfall in Britain making the area good for strawberry and rose growing they are also makers of very good wine.
Students from the world over study at the University of Essex and the English Study Centre making up part of the cosmopolitan population for which the town in known.
In 1974 Lion Walk shopping centre opened and in 1987 another centre also opened this being the Culver Square centre. Shops in Colchester include Country Casuals, Denim City Jean Co, Marks and Spencer, Next, Virgin, Waterstones and Office. Together with electrical, antique and a wide variety of smaller shops they make this a very good shopping town.
There are many restaurants in and around Colchester serving Spanish, Indian, Italian, French, Chinese and traditional foods.
Colchester has very good travel links. It has good rail connections, and is close to Stanstead Airport and near to the ferries from Holland, Denmark and Germany bringing visitors from all over the UK and Europe.
Paxman Diesels has been in production in Colchester since 1865. In 1925 it produced the first spring oil injection engine. The company joined English Electrics Diesel Group in 1966. Its main business since 1930 has been the production of diesel engines.
Property for rent in Colchester has average prices of £510pcm for a l bed flat, £625pcm for a 2 bed flat, £645pcm for a 2 bed house and £755pcm for a 3 bed house.
Colchester Zoo is close to the town and is a large well known zoo. There is a large variety of small and large species of animals at the zoo. They are well known for their interesting ‘become a keeper for the day’ package. There is a choice of animals to be a keeper to and it’s a worth while day for anyone really interested in animals. The day is spent helping to clean and feed the animals under the protective eye of a keeper.
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