Colchester Museums

Two people in Roman-style costumes standing together in front of a large illustrated backdrop, with the text “Dress to Kill (Literally) – 18 April • £35 • 18+.”

People in Roman-style costumes gathered inside a stone-walled venue, accompanied by bold text reading “Deadly Good Company – Book your tickets now!”

Date night / group activity / celebration sorted in one. 💪

Murder mystery at Colchester Castle, 18 April. Ancient Rome setting, interactive whodunnit, fizz included. Atmospheric historic venue, properly entertaining.

£35 • 18+ • 7:30pm
colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/murdermystery/

That would be something we'd have to ask the council to do as they own the land, but it's a lovely idea! They could be like our urban version of the Mistley swans.

A dark grey pottery fragment with a curved rim and an engraved inscription near the break line reading SABINA. The surface shows signs of age and wear, with the carved letters appearing lighter than the surrounding clay. Decorative gold flourishes frame the top and bottom of the image.

A pair of spherical gold earrings with smooth, polished surfaces. Each earring has a small circular gold plate at the top and a curved hook-shaped wire for fastening, set against a soft green and gold-speckled background.

A fragment of an aged wall painting depicting a standing figure in a long green dress with fitted sleeves. The figure wears a gold-coloured headpiece and a necklace, with one hand resting on the hip. The artwork is faded and textured with visible wear and missing sections, shown against a white background with gold geometric line accents.

An oval-shaped vintage locket containing a sepia-toned portrait photograph. The locket has a gold frame and a decorative triangular bail at the top. The person in the photograph is shown from the shoulders up, wearing a high lace collar and a dark, patterned garment, with the background softly tinted pink.

For #InternationalWomensDay: Roman graffiti, earrings from a lost hoard, a mysterious medieval figure, and a businesswoman extraordinaire.

Stories of women from Colchester's past, pieced together from what survived.

Read the blog: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/women-of-col...

A promotional poster showing a person holding a green‑cased tablet displaying an augmented‑reality map of a castle, with colour‑coded sections labelled Iron Age, Roman Invasion, Roman Heyday, Saxon/Norman, Post Medieval, and Modern Age. The background shows part of a physical map beneath the tablet. Text at the top reads “EXPLORE THE CASTLE IN AR – Free with any Lottery ticket.” At the bottom left is The National Lottery logo, and at the bottom right the dates “7–15 March” are displayed.

Free tablet hire at Colchester Castle this National Lottery Open Week (7–15 March). Show any Lottery ticket at the welcome desk for interactive games, historic photos, and AR reconstructions of the Castle's spaces through time. Subject to availability.

Details: buff.ly/CmxdtKc

Pigeons, as charming as they can be, aren't ideal neighbours for a Norman keep as their droppings damage stonework. Barney's presence persuades them to relocate without harm. It's an age-old solution that happens to be remarkably effective and considerably more elegant than netting or spikes.

A modern colour photo of the same street view, with the Co-op bank on the left, Fenwick’s modern façade in the centre, and the tower of Colchester Town Hall visible in the distance.

Today, the Albert Hall building is still there (now home to the Co-op bank), but St Runwald’s is long gone. In its place, you’ll now spot Fenwick’s and the Town Hall keeping an eye on the hustle. A street full of change, but still very much the centre of it all.

A black and white photo of a wide cobbled street lined with Georgian buildings. A small church tower stands in the middle of the road in the distance. Horse-drawn carts are visible along the street.

For today’s #ThrowbackThursday, you’re looking at Colchester High Street long before traffic lights, Fenwicks or Friday shopping crowds! This view (taken before 1878) shows the High Street facing east, with St Runwald’s Church visible at the centre in the distance.

Many are on display in the Castle, and more can be explored via the Online Collections cim-web.adlibhosting.com/ais6/search/...

Rounded terracotta clay vessel with a narrow base and wide body, fitted with two loop handles near the rim. A stylised human face is modelled on the front with raised circular eyes, a small nose, and a faint mouth beneath a decorative band around the neck. The rim is slightly flared with a textured edge. Visible cracks and worn patches mark the surface, suggesting age and repair. The pot is photographed against a plain light background.

What remains genuinely unresolved is their function. Some examples served as cremation urns, whilst others appear to have been used for food and drink storage. Whether the faces represent the deceased, the maker, a god, or something else entirely is still debated.

Rounded beige clay vessel with a narrow base and a wide mouth, fitted with two rounded loop handles near the rim. A stylised human face is modelled on the front with raised circular eyes, a small straight nose, and a subtle mouth, with simple ears indicated on each side. The rim features a narrow decorative band, and faint horizontal lines encircle the body. The surface shows light wear and small marks, set against a plain light background.

The type originated in the Rhineland and spread across the Roman Empire in the footsteps of the army, though civilian use continued long after the military had departed any given area. Their arrival in Britain is therefore tied directly to the Roman conquest and the movement of troops and settlers.

Rounded beige clay vessel with a narrow base and a wide opening, featuring two looped handles attached near the rim. A stylised human face is moulded on the front with closed eyes, a long nose, and a small circular mouth shaped as if blowing. The rim has a scalloped decorative edge with a small central ridge extending downward between the handles. The surface appears slightly worn and uneven, set against a plain light background.

They feature a human face, usually occupying the upper half of the pot. They vary considerably in fabric, finish, and quality. Some are finely made in grey or black colour-coated ware; others are cruder, suggesting they were produced at different workshops and for different purposes or budgets.

Rounded, beige clay vessel with a wide opening and two small loop handles on either side of the rim. A stylised human face is modelled on the front, featuring raised circular eyes, a long nose, small mouth, and simplified ears. The rim is decorated with a scalloped pattern, and the pot narrows slightly towards a small base. The surface appears smooth but slightly worn, set against a plain light background.

The sheer volume of archaeological excavation that has taken place across Colchester over the decades means the collection has grown steadily, with finds coming from cemetery sites, domestic contexts, and garrison excavations alike.

Colchester's collection of Roman face pots is one of the largest in Britain, which isn't surprising given the town's status as Camulodunum, Britain's first Roman colony, established in the 40s CE.

a bear is behind a wire fence looking up Alt: a bear is behind a wire fence looking up and waving

See you soon!

For anyone wanting to explore the wider corpus of Roman figurines from Colchester, the Colchester Archaeological Trust's excavation reports (particularly Crummy 1983) remain the key published source, and many finds are also recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database at finds.org.uk.

a large grassy field with a lake in the distance Alt: a large grassy field with a lake in the distance

That distinction matters, because it suggests the Lar was tied to the land itself, not just the occupants, which maps interestingly onto earlier Iron Age ideas about place-spirits in Britain.

The lararium was, after all, the ritual heart of the Roman home, and the Lar Familiaris protected all household members, free or enslaved, and was associated with a particular place: if a family moved out, their Penates went with them, but the Lar stayed.

a car with a bunch of boxes on top of it is driving down the street . Alt: a car with a bunch of boxes on top of it is driving down the street .

As Colchester was Britain's first Roman city (Camulodunum), the presence of Lar figurines here is consistent with a population that included significant numbers of Roman veterans and colonists who would have brought deeply ingrained domestic religious practices with them.

That scarcity is itself interesting. As scholars have noted, the use of Lar figures in Britain would have been associated primarily with Roman concepts, and it's not clear how widespread the idea of household genius and Lares worship was, even among the more Romanised sections of the population.

a man talking on a phone with the words thanks mercury written above him Alt: a man talking on a phone with the words thanks mercury written above him

Tellingly, across large figurine groups from Colchester and London combined, only a small handful of these family gods appear, compared to far more numerous representations of Mars, Mercury, and Venus.

Lar figurines have turned up across the country, though they're rare compared to other Roman deities. Among the figurines from major Roman sites, examples of the Lar Compitalis have been identified from Colchester (like the first image), associated with boundaries and crossroads.

a cat 's paw is visible on a wooden floor Alt: a cat 's paw is visible on a wooden floor

Offerings of milk and garlands were traditional, and any food dropped on the floor was considered the Lares' property. Which is either charming or a very effective way of explaining why nobody's cleaned under the table.

a cartoon of hades with the words i 'm home Alt: a cartoon of hades with the words i 'm home

Visually, they're instantly recognisable. The typical Lar was depicted as a youthful figure in a short tunic, holding a drinking horn in one hand and a cup in the other. They were usually shown in pairs on the household shrine and were the first figures the head of the house would greet.

a field of wheat with trees in the background and a blue sky Alt: a field of wheat with trees in the background and a blue sky

The concept is straightforward: the Lares were gods of cultivated fields, worshipped at the crossroads where a house's allotment met its neighbours. Over time they moved indoors, and the household Lar became the centre of the family. They were thought to influence everything within their sphere.

The Lares are among the more quietly fascinating aspects of Roman religious life, and their presence in Britain tells us something quite specific about how Roman identity was carried and practiced in the provinces.

Two tall, decorative brick chimneys rise from a red brick rooftop, each built with spiralling, textured brickwork that twists upward to an ornate, layered crown. Grey lead flashing lines the roof edge beneath them. A slim flagpole stands to the left against a cloudy, overcast sky. The viewpoint is from below, emphasising the height and intricate brick patterns of the chimneys.

You say this, but have you SEEN early Tudor chimneys?

It is the church :)

A black and white photo of a wide cobbled street lined with Georgian buildings. A small church tower stands in the middle of the road in the distance. Horse-drawn carts are visible along the street.

You don’t need to squint too hard to figure this #ThrowbackThursday location out…

Cobbles, carts, and a mystery tower at the far end - this is a snapshot of Colchester’s bustling heart before 1878. But what’s that building in the distance that no longer stands tall? Take a guess!

After Hours Castle Guided Tour | Colchester Museums Unlock the Castle after hours on 10 April 2026. Discover Roman foundations, the Great Stairs and centuries of stories on a guided tour. Ages 10+.

Our After Hours Castle Guided Tour offers exclusive evening access to hidden corners, Roman foundations and the Great Stairs, explored with an expert guide after usual visitors have gone. Evening tours | ages 10+ | £15. colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/afterhours-tour

The exterior of Colchester Castle at night, its stone walls lit by strong lighting against a dark sky. At the bottom, a grey banner contains white text reading: “After Hours Castle Tour Explore Colchester Castle after hours and behind the scenes with an expert guide. Suitable for ages 10+ 10 April | Tours at 5:30 PM or 6:45 PM | £15 pp colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/afterhours-tour.” The Colchester Castle logo appears in the corner.

Ever wondered what Colchester Castle looks like when the doors close to the public? On 10 April, you can find out.