We are pleased to announce that we have now received the list of this year’s heritage open day events.
Thursday 8th September
| Map Code | Venue/Event | Address | Description | Times |
| 14 | William Gilberd Days of Tudor Science, Trinity Street | Trinity Street, CO1 1JB | Events and activities at multiple venues to celebrate the achievements of William Gilberd – the greatest Tudor scientist. There will be opportunities to try some of his experiments, sample Tudor food and drink, enjoy Tudor music and participate in Tudor science-themed games and puzzles. See Trinity Traders leaflet for full details. | 1100-1700 |
| 20 | Colchester Cemetery | Mersea Road, CO2 8RU | Take a tour of the cemetery, a beautiful and peaceful space, hearing about its history. Colchester cemetery was opened in 1856 and contains two chapels, one Church of England and one Nonconformist. | Tour starts from cemetery gate (opp Bourne Rd) at 1100 and lasts approximately 1.5 hours |
Friday 9th September
| Map Code | Venue/Event | Address | Description | Times |
| 14 | William Gilberd Days of Tudor Science, Trinity Street | Trinity Street, CO1 1JB | As above | 1100-1700 |
| 17 | St James the Less and St Helen’s Church | 51 Priory Street, CO1 2QB | A talk on the history of St John’s Abbey. This talk will explore the history of the abbey and reveal some unexpected stories. | Talk starts at 1400 |
| 20 | Colchester Cemetery | Mersea Road, CO2 8RU | As above | Tour starts from cemetery gate (opp Bourne Rd) at 1400 |
Saturday 10th September
| Map Code | Venue/Event | Address | Description | Times |
| 1 | Firstsite: Free Family Saturday | Lewis Gardens, CO1 1JH | Free artist-led activities for the whole family to enjoy. | 1100–1300 & 1400–1600 |
| 1 | Firstsite: Activity Trail and Interactive Resources | Lewis Gardens, CO1 1JH | Take the opportunity to use a free activity trail and interactive resources to explore our exhibition with your family | 1000-1700 |
| 1 | Firstsite: Exhibition tours | Lewis Gardens, CO1 1JH | Take a guided tour of the current exhibitions: ‘Work and Leaisure’ by the internationally acclaimed photographer Martin Parr, Colchester Art Society and ‘Essence of Essex’ photography competition. The tours will be led by Firstsite staff. | Tours start at 1100, 1200 & 1300 |
| 2 | Roman Circus | Roman Circus Walk, CO2 7GZ | Visit the former NAAFI of the Artillery Barracks of Colchester’s old garrison, where the Roman Circus Centre is based. Small display about the NAAFI including some vintage NAAFI artefacts. Try NAAFI recipe cakes in the tearoom. Vintage military vehicles in the garden. | 1030-1630. Tours of the centre start at 1230 & 1330 |
| 3 | St Helen’s Chapel | St Helen’s Lane, CO1 1UR | Explore this medieval chapel, first mentioned in 1076. It is Saxon in origin, built on Roman foundations and has been rebuilt several times. Now used as a Greek Orthodox Church. | 1000-1300 & 1400-1630 |
| 4 | Colchester Royal Grammar School | Lexden Road, CO3 3ND | CRGS relocated from Culver Street to Lexden Road in 1853. Many of the buildings are in the mock Tudor style in homage to the school’s two Royal Charters of 1539 and 1584. The gardens are particularly lovely with several rare trees and flowering shrubs. Regular tours of the gardens and talks on the history of CRGS. Light refreshments available. | 1000-1200. Talks 1020, 1100 & 1140 Tours 1030, 1100 & 1130 |
| 5 | Quaker Meeting House | Church Street, CO1 1NF | Quakers have been active in Colchester for over three hundred years and currently worship in this attractive listed and extended building. Members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) will be present throughout the day to welcome visitors and explain their values and work. There will be exhibition of Quaker activities | 1000-1600 |
| 6 | Mersea Barrow | East Mersea Road, CO5 8EX | Roman burial mound dated AD 100-120. The finds from the Barrow are on show in Mersea Museum. | 1000-1700 |
| 7 | Roman Theatre | Maidenburgh Street, CO1 1UB | Small area of the foundations of the Roman theatre that featured in the destruction of Colchester by Boudica in AD 60. Originally had capacity for 3000 spectators. Discovered in 1981 during excavations by the Colchester Archaeological Trust and now in the care of Colchester and Ipswich Museums. | 0945 – 1630 |
| 8 | Colchester Castle Museum | Castle Park, CO1 2PG | Europe’s largest Norman keep, built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius. Colchester Castle was built around 1070 by William the Conqueror and has been a royal fortress, prison and, since 1860, a museum. Visitors can see the displays, enjoy the interactives and see the newly-installed Fenwick Treasure. | 1000 – 1700 (last entry 1630) |
| 8 | Castle to Roman Circus Tour with Philip Crummy | Castle Park, CO1 2PG | Guided tour starting at Colchester Castle, taking in the Roman Theatre, Duncan’s Gate, Roman arcade, St Botolph’s Priory, St John’s Abbey Gatehouse and finishing at the Roman Circus. | Tour starts at 1030 and lasts approximately 2 hours |
| 9 | Colchester Town Hall | High Street, CO1 1FR | Exciting design by John Belcher, constructed between 1897-1902. The clock tower, built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee and named the Victoria Tower, is surmounted by a bronze figure of St Helena 50 metres above the street. Inside is an imposing staircase with seated statute of Queen Victoria, the mayoral suite and the Council Chamber. | Tours at 1000 & 1130 |
| 10 | Sparlings Solicitors | 3 West Stockwell Street, CO1 1HQ | Late 15th century, half-timbered building with remarkable exterior wood carving of angels. Inside original screens passage doorway, on the left of which lay the hall. Formerly a merchant’s house, now a solicitor’s office. | Tours at 0930, 1030, 1130, 1230, 1330, 1430 & 1530 |
| 11 | Audley Chapel | Berechurch Hall Road, CO2 9NU | This 16th-century burial chapel of the Audley family has a fine hammer-beam roof, tomb of Sir Henry Audley (1648) and other original features. Now managed by the Churches Conservation Trust. | 1000-1300 |
| 12 | St Martin’s Church | West Stockwell Street, CO1 1HQ | Medieval church with impressive 14th-century roof, wall painting and Norman tower that was badly damaged during the 1648 Siege of Colchester. Now managed by the Churches Conservation Trust. | 1000-1700. Tours at 1100 & 1500 |
| 13 | St John’s Abbey Gatehouse | St John’s Green, CO2 7HA | Early 15th-century gatehouse, the only building to survive from the Benedictine St John’s Abbey completed 900 years ago. Badly damaged during the 1648 Siege of Colchester it was extensively restored in the 19th century. Now in the care of English Heritage. | 1000-1600 |
| 14 | William Gilberd Days of Tudor Science, Trinity Street | Trinity Street, CO1 1JB | As above | 1100-1700 |
| 15 | Bourne Mill | Bourne Road, CO2 8RT | This 16th-century mill was originally built as a fishing lodge with stepped Dutch gables. It was converted to a mill in the 19th century for cloth manufacturing and later flour milling. For this weekend the Bourne Valley Crafters and Producers Market will be on site selling local produce and crafts. | 1100-1600 |
| 16 | St Leonard at the Hythe Church | Hythe Hill, CO1 2LW | A rare opportunity to view this mainly 14th-century building with impressive tower, which carries scars from the Civil War in the form of bullet holes in the south door. Sailors’ graves in the churchyard. Now managed by the Churches Conservation Trust. | 1000-1700. Music Concert at 3pm (Sophie-Anne Chaplin, Violin and Voice) |
| 17 | St James the Less and St Helen’s Church | 51 Priory Street, CO1 2QB | Built in 1837 to a design by John Joseph Scholes, a leading Roman Catholic architect and scholar who was a friend of A. W. N. Pugin. Of white brick in the Norman style, without a tower but with Gothic style turrets. The wide interior consisting of ‘Norman’ columns. Early 20th-century extensions and a new chapel in 1987. | 1000-1200 & 1400-1630. Tours start at 1045 & 1500, each including a short talk on J. J. Scholes and Pugin |
| 18 | Holy Trinity Church | Trinity Square, CO1 1JN | Built around AD 1000, featuring a small doorway and Romanesque arch, the church tower is the oldest standing building in Colchester. Memorial to the Tudor scientist William Gilberd. Special displays for Days of Tudor Science – see Trinity Traders leaflet for full details. | 0930-1630 |
| 19 | Peake’s House | East Stockwell Street, CO1 1HQ | An attractive timber-framed house, dating back to the late 14th century and converted into a three-storey house around 1550. Now managed by the Landmark Trust. | 1000-1600 |
| 21 | Vintage Bus Service | Buses depart from War Memorial, Castle Park Gates. CO1 1YG | Buses will run between Castle Park Gates, Bourne Mill and the Hythe at regular intervals between 0930-1630. Selected services will also run to Mersea Barrow and University of Essex. | Services operate regularly between 0930-1630 |
| 21 | Town to Sea trail | War Memorial, CO1 1YG | A guided walk from Colchester’s Castle Park to the historic Hythe port area. Along the way you will hear tales about Colchester’s fascinating history as well as stories of seafaring heritage and how the links to the sea were once so important to the prosperity of the Town. | Tour starts from the War Memorial at 1100 and lasts approx 1 hr 45 mins |
| 22 | Mercury Theatre | Balkerne Gate, CO1 1PT | A rare chance to take a backstage tour of this wonderful theatre. Built in 1972, it has been hosting some of the country’s biggest names ever since. | Tours every 15 mins between 1000 – 1200 |
| 23 | Colne Light Ship | King Edward Quay, the Hythe, CO2 8JB | Launched in 1954 as a ‘Light Vessel 16’ she served as a navigational lightship until she was taken out of service and a few years later became the home of the Colchester Sea Cadets moored on the River Colne in the Hythe. 2016 will be the 75th anniversary of the Sea Cadet Unit in Colchester and the Cadets and staff will be proud to show you around. | 1000 – 1800 |
| 23 | Vintage Bus display | King Edward Quay, the Hythe, CO2 8JB | Colne Estuary Preserved Buses show a display of vehicles from over 70 years. | 1000-1600 |
| 24 | ESSEX Architecture weekend | University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, CO4 3SQ | Over the Saturday and Sunday of Heritage Open Days, Radical Essex presents ESSEX Architecture Weekend, which will feature tours of the Brutalist towers of the University of Essex. | For full details of times and meeting points, visit www.radicalessex.uk |
Sunday 11th September
| Map Code | Venue/Event | Address | Description | Times |
| 1 | Firstsite: Exhibition tours | Lewis Gardens, CO1 1JH | As above | Tours start at 1100, 1200 & 1300 |
| 3 | St Helen’s Chapel | St Helen’s Lane, CO1 1UR | As above | 1400-1630 |
| 6 | Mersea Barrow | East Mersea Road, CO5 8EX | As above | 1000-1700 |
| 7 | Roman Theatre | Maidenburgh Street, CO1 1UB | As above | 0945 – 1630 |
| 9 | Colchester Town Hall | High Street, CO1 1FR | As above | Tours at 1000 & 1130 |
| 12 | St Martin’s Church | West Stockwell Street, CO1 1HQ | As above | 1000-1700. Tours at 1100 & 1500 |
| 13 | St John’s Abbey Gatehouse | St John’s Green, CO2 7HA | As above | 1000 – 1600 |
| 14 | Tymperley’s | Trinity Street, CO1 1JB | Originally the parlour and solar wing of the late 15th-century merchant’s house, known as Tymperley’s, that was the birthplace and ‘head house’ of William Gilberd (1544-1603). Interior with late-17th-century staircase. Special events and activities for ‘Days of Tudor Science’ – see Trinity Traders leaflet for full details. | 1000-1700 |
| 14 | William Gilberd Days of Tudor Science, Trinity Street | Trinity Street, CO1 1JB | As above | 1100-1700 |
| 15 | Bourne Mill | Bourne Road, CO2 8RT | As above | 1100-1600 |
| 16 | St Leonard at the Hythe Church | Hythe Hill, CO1 2LW | As above | 1000-1700. Tours at 1400 & 1600 |
| 18 | Holy Trinity Church | Trinity Square, CO1 1JB | As above | 1100-1500 |
| 19 | Peake’s House | East Stockwell Street, CO1 1HQ | As above | 1000-1600 |
| 21 | Costumed Tours of Colchester | War Memorial, CO1 1YG | Explore Colchester’s amazing past with an entertaining and knowledgable Blue Badge Guide. | Tours start from the War memorial at 1100 (Siege of Colchester) & 1500 (Roman Colchester) |
| 21 | Roman Wall Walk | War Memorial, CO1 1YG | Take a guided walk around the oldest and most complete town wall in the country. Built in response to Boudica’s attack on Colchester in AD 60, over two-thirds still remain, including the largest Roman gateway in Britain. | Tour starts from the War Memorial at 1400 and last approximately 1.5 hours |
| 24 | ESSEX Architecture weekend | University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, CO4 3SQ | As above | For full details of times and meeting points, visit www.radicalessex.uk |