Colchester Natural History Museum

St Botolph’s Priory, was the first English Augustinian priory church, founded at the end of the eleventh century from the Anglo-Saxon minster community of Colchester. Only remains stand today.

This pinnacled gatehouse, built c.1400, elaborately decorated in East Anglian ‘flushwork’, is the sole survivor of the wealthy Benedictine abbey of St John.

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.    

Bourne Mill is a watermill with working waterwheel.

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 river valley. There a plans to increase the capacity of Abberton reservoir to 40,000 megalitres by raising the bank height all the way round. On its margins are found well-established plant communities that provide important opportunities for feeding, nesting and shelter. Abberton Reservoir is important as an autumn arrival area for waterbirds that then spend the winter elsewhere. Designated a Special Protection Area as a result of its over-wintering populations of Golden Plover, Gadwall, Shoveler and Teal and for its breeding population of cormorants. In addition there are significant numbers of Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Coot, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Pintail, Wigeon and Great Crested Grebe. The Reservoir was used by the RAF’s 617 Squadron (“The Dam Busters”) for practice runs prior to the bombing of the German Dams in the Ruhr during World War II.

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.