Hedingham Castle is a Norman motte and bailey castle with a stone keep 110 feet high. For four centuries it was the primary seat of the de Vere family, Earls of Oxford. Aubrey de Vere was one of William the Conqueror’s most favoured knights. His son Aubrey II built a huge castle at Hedingham c.1140. A family visit to the Read more…
Beach: On the marina at West Mersea View: The boats! What’s on the menu?: Fantastic fresh seafood, caught locally – eat in or take away. The Company Shed has been in West Mersea for over 25 years and is a local favourite. Read more…
This pinnacled gatehouse, built c.1400, elaborately decorated in East Anglian ‘flushwork’, is the sole survivor of the wealthy Benedictine abbey of St John. Read more…
The Playhouse is a Wetherspoon pub in Colchester, Essex. Our pub offers a range of real ales, craft beers and freshly ground Lavazza coffee. Breakfast is served until noon, with our full food menu available until 11 pm. Read more…
Colchester Castle is an example of a largely complete Norman castle. Colchester’s keep at 46 m by 34 m (152 by 112 feet) is thought to be the largest ever built in Britain and the largest surviving example in Europe. Read more…
A large, shallow, freshwater storage reservoir and is the largest freshwater body in Essex. The reservoir contains around 25,000 Megalitres. It is a pumped storage reservoir. This means water is pumped from the rivers Chelmer, Blackwater and Stour to fill it, rather than simply relying on rainfall in the limited catchment area. The reservoir was formed by damming a shallow Read more…
Castle House was the home of Sir Alfred Munnings from 1919 till his death in 1959 and is architecturally a mixture of Tudor and Georgian elements. Sir Alfred Munnings was one of Britain’s finest equestrian painters and the museum has a significant collection of his paintings. Read more…
Hollytrees Museum is situated in an eighteenth-century house close to Colchester Castle, which was used as a private residence until 1929. The museum displays Colchester’s rich history with nearly three centuries of fascinating toys, costume and decorative arts along with a children’s play area, shop, sensory garden. Read more…
Colchester Zoo has over 260 rare species many part of breeding programmes. Interactive daily displays get you closer to the animals and the zoo offers a wide range of educational activities for schools and groups as well as team building for corporate groups. Colchester Zoo’s Action for the Wild is the zoo’s charitable arm and is responsible for conservation work Read more…
Mistley Towers are the twin towers of the now demolished Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Mistley. The original Georgian parish church on the site had been built in classical style early in the 18th century. Read more…
