Colchester is a city in Essex, East Anglia. Home to the University of Essex, the Colchester Institute and an Army Garrison, and with its attractive old buildings, Roman wall, castle and proximity to Constable country, Colchester is an interesting place to visit.
Colchester is a picturesque provincial city in the county of Essex, and the geographical region of East Anglia. It is commonly regarded as the "oldest recorded town" in England (due to being mentioned by Roman author Pliny).
It was the capital of the Celtic tribe Trinovantes until it was conquered by Claudius's army in 43 AD and became the first Roman capital - and Britain's first city. Known as Camulodunum, it was burned to the ground by Boudicca's Iceni tribe approximately two decades later.
Boudicca and her 100,000-strong army were soon defeated, but Colchester never returned to prominence in Roman Britain, becoming instead a settlement for ex-legionaries.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Colchester then passed through the hands of the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and was home to the royalists during the month-long siege of the English Civil War. Some modern historians often speculate that "Camelot" could actually be a misspelling of "Camulod(unum)" by an early chronicler unaware of the name change to "Colchester".
The city's main attraction is the Norman castle, founded by William the Conqueror himself, on the foundations of the earlier Roman Temple of Divine Emperor Claudius. It bears similarities to the Tower of London, which was built at the same time.
The city also boasts Roman walls, Saxon and Norman churches, countless timber-framed houses, buildings still showing bullet-holes and scars from the Civil War, and also the oldest Victorian water tower in Britain, known locally as Jumbo.
The two main operators in the city are First Essex[dead link]and Network Colchester, with Konectbuses (services from Sudbury and from surrounding areas) and Beestons (services from Dedham). Most services run from the Temporary Bus Station on Queen Street but will pick up at other stops around the city centre.
Colchester can be reached by car either via the A12, which links up with the M25 from the south, the A14, which links up with the M1/M6 from the North or the A120, which connects to the M11.
The city centre is easily walkable and much of it is pedestrianised. The city core is encircled by High Street, Queen Street, Osbourne Street, St Johns Street and Head Street. Castle Park covers much of the north-eastern city centre and makes for a pleasant traffic-free stroll out of the city centre.
在科尔切斯特开车并不算太麻烦，但交通在高峰时段往往会停滞。在市中心，路边停车是违法的，或者最多只能短时间停车（即不超过20分钟），这意味着您需要使用公共停车场。当您接近市中心时，路边的数字显示屏会告知您每个停车楼的车位可用情况，为您节省寻找车位的麻烦。通常，像Vineyard Street或Britannia Building这样的地面停车场最便宜（约1.50英镑/小时），Colchester City Council的多层停车场价格稍贵（约2.20英镑/小时），且24小时开放，而NCP停车场价格最高。在大多数情况下，您会在进入时从自动闸机处拿到一张票，在返回车辆前需要在付款机处支付费用才能离开停车场。在市中心附近住宅街道停车需要居民停车许可，因此不建议在此停车，否则可能会收到停车罚单。
Local buses have limited use to the average visitor as almost everything is within walking distance, although they can be useful to reach further-afield attractions such as Wivenhoe, the university, Highwoods Country Park, and Colchester Zoo. All buses serve the city centre via the inner one-way system, which can be confusing, e.g. if you enter the city centre from the rail station, you will alight on High Street (this is the first stop in the city centre), however to return to the station you have to board in Head Street. It's advisable to always check the schedule (available from the bus information centre on Queen Street) to make sure you don't board in the wrong place and head off in the opposite direction.
Most routes run at 10-30 minute intervals from 5AM–6PM and run less frequently in the evening up to 11PM. Fares start at around £1.50 for a single ticket (or £2.50 for a return) although if you plan to make more than a couple of journeys, a £3 day rover ticket is a useful investment as it gives you unlimited journeys for 1 day. Change is usually available but drivers will usually be reluctant to change anything bigger than a £5 bill. Useful routes are
Colchester is an attractive place to cycle, and two National Cycle Routes pass through the city. Due to heavy traffic and narrow roads, cycling in the city centre is a little hairy and there are few cycle-lanes, however there are plenty of cycle-paths away from the main roads when you get away from the city centre. These cycle routes take in many of the sights of Colchester including the site of the Roman Circus, the Gosbecks Archaeological Park, and Abbey Fields. Some bike stores such as Colchester Cycle Stores on St John's Street may allow you to rent a bicycle. Many National Cycle Routes run off-road and are not suitable for certain bicycle types, e.g. road bikes.
Metered taxis are a little hard to find although they can usually be picked up from taxi ranks on the High Street or outside North Station (north exit). However, it's usually cheaper and more convenient to call for a minicab. The most useful operators include
Colchester is home to 3 museums, each one housed in a different beautiful old building and offering a different insight into the history behind Colchester. It is also home to 2 galleries, each offering a distinct approach to the presentation of art and housed in beautiful neighbouring buildings, one contemporary and one historic
涨潮时，堤道很可能会被淹没，从而有效地将岛屿与外界隔绝，因为这是唯一的陆路交通。只有大潮（与小潮相反 ）才会淹没 Strood，而这些通常发生在涨潮时间为中午/下午早些时候，尽管天气条件可能会影响潮水进出时间、高度和持续时间。67 路公交车从科尔切斯特巴士站到 West Mersea High Street 每 30 分钟一班。行程时间大约为 30-40 分钟，具体取决于所走的路线和一天中的时间。
该岛也以其牡蛎养殖场而闻名，当地的牡蛎在 West Mersea 的 Coast Road 的几家专营餐厅出售。
科尔切斯特有各种各样的商店，从任何大城镇都能找到的商店（Marks & Spencer、Debenhams 等）到许多小型独立商店。High Street 是开始的地方：在这里您可以找到一家大型现代化的 Fenwicks 百货商店（前身为 Williams & Griffin）。但是，如果您沿着 High Street 往下滑，从右侧的小巷进入，您会发现自己置身于一个充满有趣商品的半行人化小巷迷宫。您可以在 Culver Square 的 Build-a-Bear 制作和打扮自己的泰迪熊，或在 Eld Lane 的 Godiva 购买巧克力。这里有一些古老的建筑和许多咖啡馆，可以为购物的疲惫的您提供休息。
周末，High Street 会有市集，每个月第一个星期天，Mercury Theatre 场地会有农夫市集。
如果您正在寻找适合您这次逗留的纪念品，Castle Museum 的商店有许多以罗马为主题的商品可供选购。
51.889450.897641Waterstones Bookshop,12-13 High St, CO1 1DA。9AM-5:30PM。六根高耸的古典柱子后面(2024年1月更新)
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