Destination Colchester

23/07/2024

Cities that have claimed to be Britain’s Second City

02/12/2023

Daily Express is at it now:

Few will have visited the south-eastern English city which was once the capital of Britain.

26/11/2023

From The West Australian: Colchester "has largely stayed under the radar of overseas tourists, but during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, it received a profile boost, finally attaining city status. Colchester makes for a good alternative escape, less than an hour by rail from Britain’s capital, and much less crowded with visitors than Oxford and Cambridge. You might even be tempted to stick around and explore the enchanting Essex coast and countryside. Here are five highlights of “Britain’s first city”."

Steve McKenna selects five reasons to visit Colchester

18/10/2023

"South Lanes" it is! We've been agonising about the best name for this area of the city centre, there having been several different schemes and variations over the years. "South Lanes" had been pencilled in, but this looks like a decision...

15/10/2023

News of Britain's First City and our new City Status, led by Destination Colchester, has spanned the globe:

Colchester, Britain’s oldest recorded town, is an enriching side trip crammed with intrigue (and great oysters).

22/06/2023

The headline is the conclusion of our assessment of existing signs, but we are working hard on a proposal for a new and coherent scheme.

AN ORGANISATION, aiming to promote tourism within the city, is asking for input from Colcestrians to understand how they find their way around…

10/06/2023

👉SIGNS ~ SIGNS ~ SIGNS👈
....‼️Public Consultation‼️....

How do you find your way around Colchester?

We are managing a project to improve tourism signs and wayfinding around Colchester.
Please do take a look at this survey to help us understand how you find your way around, with the options to keep in touch and get involved.

Thank you.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION 1. (June 2023) The objective of the Colchester Tourism Sign and Wayfinding Project is to develop and implement signs and wayfinding within the Colchester area that effectively direct visitors and residents to local attractions and associated services. The overall scheme will be d...

12/09/2022

This has generated some interest!

Simon Taylor, acting chairman of Destination Colchester, reports:

17/08/2022

Destination Colchester CIC has agreed to undertake a comprehensive review of tourism and related signage in Colchester and its surrounding destination area.
This will involve an audit of existing signs and a recommendation for new and improved signs, with a thorough analysis of how this can be achieved.
There is no doubt that this work is much needed:

27/06/2022

10/06/2022

Still time to grab a copy of today's Gazette, with 16 pages of positivity about Colchester.

If you didn't know, Colchester is set to become a city! 👑

To celebrate, we are running a 16-page pull-out in tomorrow's paper.

Be sure to grab a copy!

08/06/2022

Very soon now...

28/05/2022

20/05/2022

We did it!

1973 years after Emperor Claudius granted Camulodunum the status of Colonia, and 921 years after King Henry I granted the castle and city of Colchester to his steward, we are thrilled that Colchester Roman City's historic status is to be restored to commemorate HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

We would like to acknowledge and thank everyone who has been working on this over the last decade and a bit: not least our own Destination Colchester team who laid the foundations for this success with their excellent 2012 application.

People who live and work in Colchester tell of their surprise and delight at gaining city status.

20/04/2022

Debates about promoting Colchester usually descend into an argument about the Romans, so we decided to create a new attraction out of all the Roman bits around the town, and exclusively the Roman bits, all under one banner.
We call it Colchester Roman City.

Please visit, like and share, and help us to make it into a "thing"!

06/01/2022

23/12/2021

02/12/2021

We have added our support to Colchester's bid for City Status:

"As the independent Destination Organisation for the area, we fully believe in Colchester. We are immensely proud of its culture and heritage, being of regional and national importance; and its historic resilience to misfortune in the form of sieges, plagues, massacres and even earthquakes; as well as the innovative and dynamic place that it is today.

"We are not alone in believing in Colchester and its significance. A critic recently wrote that Colchester "is a city worthy of an epic, like Troy". We don't know how Homer would relate Colchester's place in history, but it was here that the Emperor Claudius received tribute of eleven British kings after his triumphant arrival in AD43. The Emperor's belief was demonstrated by his award of Colonia, the highest status of Roman city, whose citizens enjoyed the largest classical temple, the most theatres and the only known chariot-racing circus in Britain, probably built for Hadrian.

"Just two years after Constantine adopted Christianity, one of the first three named British bishops who attended the Council of Arles came from the city Colonia, as Colchester was then known. Seven hundred years later, Colchester was one of only 17 places in England described as a civitas, or city, and in 1101 King Henry I made a grant to his steward, Eudo de Rie, of the "city of Colchester and tower and castle and all the rents" that had been held by Kings William I and William II before him.

"Colchester castle remained a Royal stronghold until 1629, before the twin catastrophes of the Siege of 1648 and the Great Plague of 1665, when nearly half the population died. But Colchester survives all its misfortunes with resilience, belief and pride. It rebuilt and grew over the next centuries, boosted by the establishment of its Garrison during the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars, now the home of 16th Air Assault Brigade, and the University of Essex in 1961.

"Diverse, individual and thriving; modern Colchester is hot-bed of creativity and hospitality. Its present strong sense of local pride is clearly evidenced by its commitment to and support of all four open competitions for City Status. No other place in Britain has shown more belief in itself through these competitions than Colchester, and no other place has a firmer foundation to justify the restoration of its historic status. "

www.colchester.gov.uk/city-status-bid/

Colchester’s history may have shaped its streets and its skyline, but we haven’t let ourselves be shackled by it – it gives us belief in our past and confidence in our future. From Britain’s first city and throughout 2000 years of trade, innovation and creativity, our heritage provides a fir...

12/11/2021

Destination Colchester CIC is supporting Colchester Borough Council's bid for City Status to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. You can read their 10 reasons why Colchester deserves the honour, and submit your own comments of support, here:

We are providing information for residents, businesses, and communities which we will review and update regularly. View the latest updates, advice and guidance.

08/10/2021

A BID is expected to be made for Colchester to be recognised as a city.

28/09/2021

22/09/2021

15/07/2021

A map showing "Every UK City's Top Tourist Attraction":

Map shows the top tourist attraction in every UK city. Natural attractions and museums dominate the list. My kind of holiday! Source: https://buff.ly/3hwLvS9

01/05/2021

Colchester's first Fringe Festival, this weekend:

02/04/2021

You may have noticed that we’ve changed our name. Marks Hall Estate is now ‘Markshall Estate’, a small change which has a lot of history and heritage behind it. If you’re wondering why, here’s the story of our name through the centuries 👉 http://bit.ly/3ucHZkt

18/03/2021

🎂 2021 is the 10th anniversary of Firstsite’s award-winning building. We kicked off our big year with 'The Great Big Art Exhibition' and can't wait to share even more celebration projects and commissions with you!

🎉 As part of these celebrations, we are delighted to announce that a major exhibition of brand-new works by Michael Landy CBE will open at Firstsite in June.

Featuring a fascinating archive and an artwork on our magnificent 140-metre curved internal wall, 'Michael Landy’s Welcome to Essex' will explore, celebrate and questions the recent history of his home county and its contemporary portrayal in popular culture.

Stay tuned for more details coming very soon!
www.firstsite.uk/michael-landys-welcome-to-essex

17/03/2021

Colchester Borough Council are delighted to appoint Counterculture to work with them and the Borough’s cultural and creative community in developing an ambitious new Cultural Strategy for Colchester.

Find out more: http://ow.ly/1WmQ50E0YUE

Firstsite Colchester Mercury Theatre Colchester Colchester Arts Centre Counterculture Partnership LLP

27/02/2021

25/02/2021

We are the Minories ... is here!