Colchester Walks and Talks

14/01/2025

As one of Jumbo's team of volunteer guides, I am delighted to hear this today.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced Jumbo will benefit from an £8million cash grant which it is hoped will secure its future.

10/01/2025

My first blog post of 2025 is all about Colchester Baptist Church. Read it on my website

There has been a long history of non-Conformity in Colchester. This was enhanced when the Catholic king of Spain persecuted Flemish Protestants in the Spanish controlled Netherlands in the 17th century. These Dutch speakers were invited to England which wanted their skills as wool weavers and many s...

22/12/2024

Join me for a Colchester – The Oldest and Newest City Tour on Friday 31st January 2025 at 11:30am
For details see

Tours Walking tours of Colchester with a qualified guide Tours include Colchester The Oldest and Newest City, Roman Colchester, Colchester Churches, How to read a house

15/12/2024

The Christmas Farmers’ Market in front of Jumbo yesterday evening was really good.

09/12/2024

My blog this month has Colchester's iconic Jumbo water tower getting us into the festive mood. There is also news on the plans for its future. https://www.colchesterwalksandtalks.com/post/jumbo-at-christmas
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!!🎄

Colchester's iconic Jumbo water tower is looking very festive with its Christmas tree in front. Just to show you how tall Jumbo is, that little Christmas tree directly in front of its entrance is over 4m high!Jumbo features on most of my city tours so if you'd like a festive guided walk around the c...

31/10/2024

All Hallows’ Eve sunset.

19/10/2024

Contains strong language but a nice review. I am one of the guides who do the vaults and roof tours and it’s a great place to be involved with

10/10/2024

The Northern lights from Great Tey near Colchester.

02/10/2024

In this month's blog I look at the ancient chapel of St. Helens.

This ancient chapel stands on the corner of Maidenburgh Street and St. Helen’s Lane. It is dedicated to St. Helena also known as St. Helen who is the patron saint of Colchester.This site was originally at the stage end of the Roman Theatre which once stood here. Its outline can be seen shown by th...

26/08/2024

In this month's blog I look at the unique St. Martins Church in West Stockwell Street.

St. Martin's church is on the east side of West Stockwell Street at its junction with Quakers Alley. It dates from 12th century with additions in 14th century. It is built of septaria, flint rubble and reused Roman Brick.The top of its tower was destroyed by cannon fire in 1648 during the Civil War....

22/07/2024

In this month's blog I take a look at the story of the lost church of St. Nicholas which once stood in Colchester High Street. If you would like to see some of the buildings mentioned in my blog, along with many others, and hear their stories please book a tour with me by contacting me.

https://www.colchesterwalksandtalks.com/post/the-lost-church-of-st-nicholas

01/07/2024

This month's blog is about the building that now houses the Colchester Arts Centre which has had a fascinating history.

Colchester Art CentreThere was originally a Saxon church here and since 1286, three different churches have stood on this location, with the nave and chancel of the current building dating from 1872. The lower part of the tower is the oldest, dating from around 1270. The city wall forms the west sid...

06/06/2024

The lighting of the beacon in Castle Park, Colchester, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day at 9:15pm on Thursday 6th June 2024.

The lighting of the beacon in Castle Park, Colchester, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day at 9:15pm on Thursday 6th June 2024.

02/06/2024

Two years ago on 2nd June 2022, the beacon in Castle Park, Colchester, was lit to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II. I have videos of the event on my YouTube channel.

Platinum Jubilee Beacon, Castle Park, Colchester, 22/06/2022 - God Save The QueenAll the scheduled tours and other content on this page are free, but there i...

05/05/2024

18 new items · Album by Rowena Macaulay

04/05/2024

Sisters Ann and Jane Taylor once lived in a house in West Stockwell Street. In 1806 Jane wrote a poem called "The Star". In 1838 the words of the first verse were put to a French folk tune and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" was born. At 3:30pm today a statue of the two sisters was unveiled in the High Street by Sir Bob Russell, the High Steward of Colchester. I videoed the event. Apologies for Sir Bob's speeches being almost inaudible, the public address system he was using was very quiet.