Tessera
Folgen

Colchester Museums

@colmuseums.bsky.social

We're renowned for Romans, cuckoo about clocks and wild for animals! Custodians of Colchester Castle, Hollytrees Museum and Colchester's Natural History Museum.

4037 Posts16052 Follower1086 Folgt
Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · yesterday

Wondering whether to add a guided tour to your Castle visit? Our visitors have a clear answer: “Brilliant tour, very informative.” “Make sure to book a tour if you can!” “I would definitely recommend the tour when visiting.”

A costumed tour guide in a top hat and waistcoat gestures while holding a small thatched-hut model inside a rough stone-walled cellar, with a testimonial overlay reading "Brilliant tour, very informative." and a five-star rating beneath.
Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · 2d ago

This pendant, made in the late Victorian period, contains carefully arranged strands of human hair. Blonde, grey, and brown locks are shaped into delicate flourishes, interlaced with fine coils of gold wire and preserved behind a glass front.

Victorian oval brooch or hairwork plaque set under glass, arranged with curled strands of human hair in a decorative floral pattern with gold wire detail, mounted against a pale background. Text around the image reads: “To the Victorians mourning was not private.”
Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · 3d ago

This black silk bonnet, made for a girl between 1870 and 1900, was designed for mourning. Its edges are bound in black fabric, with ribbons to tie under the chin. A long panel of plain black cloth sewn to the crown drapes down the back, a sombre detail marking the wearer’s grief.

Graphic titled “Victorian Mourning Bonnets” showing a black mourning bonnet on a stand beside a black-and-white illustration of a person wearing a bonnet and full dress, holding a small bag.Black mourning bonnet displayed on a clear stand, showing the padded rim, interior lining and draped outer fabric.
Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · 4d ago

Well done if you guessed our #ThrowbackThursday location at Lincoln Way! This photo captures a moment in the development of one of Colchester's post-war housing estates. The surrounding houses were part of the significant residential growth that took place across the town during the 1960s and 70s.

A black-and-white photograph of a residential street with rows of houses on both sides of the road. In the foreground, a child wearing a hooded coat walks along the pavement towards the camera. Several cars are parked beside the houses, and tall street lights line the road. A large tree stands on the left side of the image, with more houses and rooftops visible further into the distance.
Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · 6d ago

Nature was doing creepy long before Halloween. Sometimes the natural world is stranger than anything we could make up. If you prefer your Halloween with a side of fascinating facts, join us for Spooky Stories at the Natural History Museum on 28 and 30 October, 10.15–11am.

Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · last wk.

We're going to be honest with you. Today's weather is not giving anyone a reason to leave the sofa. But if you're going to go somewhere, you may as well go somewhere with a Roman vault, a medieval castle, and 2,000 years of stories under one roof.

A stone sculpture displayed on a pedestal, depicting a seated mythological figure with muscular arms, detailed drapery, and carved animal forms at the base. The weathered surface shows signs of age and erosion. The statue is positioned against a backdrop of rough stone walls inside the museum.A close-up view of an ancient mosaic wall composed of small stone tesserae in earthy tones of red, cream, tan, and grey. The stones form curved, interlocking geometric patterns characteristic of Roman mosaic design. The texture of the uneven, hand-cut tiles is clearly visible, with some areas worn smooth over time.A museum display case containing a selection of Roman artefacts arranged on clear acrylic mounts, illuminated by warm lighting. The items include iron spearheads, fragments of metalwork, decorative brooches, rings, and a circular tray of silver coins labelled “21.” Numbered markers sit beside each object, and the background shows a photographic panel illustrating archaeological context.A museum display featuring a large collection of Roman coins arranged in neat rows on tiered platforms. Several reconstructed ceramic vessels sit above the coins, each pot visibly cracked and reassembled. In front of the main display are fragments of coloured stone flooring, pieces of jewellery, and metal fittings laid out on clear stands, each marked with small identification numbers.
🎞️🎥✨celluloidsoul@celluloidsoul.bsky.social · 2w ago

Over here appreciating that they only had room for one name and decided to feature Chester Morris on the marquee, even though Carole Lombard was technically first billed. No shade to Carole, I just love to see Chester loved.

Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · 2w ago

The Regal here in Colchester was doing more than showing films. It hosted concerts, live performers, a theatre organ and, in 1964, two Rolling Stones concerts. Did you ever go to a show there, or do you mostly remember it as a cinema?

Historic nighttime street scene at the Regal movie theater: an illuminated marquee advertising Chester Morris in "Sinners in the Sun," an ornate arched window above, and a few coat‑clad patrons gathered on the sidewalk.
Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · 2w ago

This week’s #ThrowbackThursday takes us to a steep street scene photographed in 1898. There’s plenty to spot here. The view looks down a hill towards a townscape that has long since changed, but several of the buildings are still recognisable today. Do you know where this photograph was taken?

A black-and-white photograph of a sloping street lined with buildings on both sides. Several people stand on the pavements and roadway, including a small group near the foreground on the left. Tall chimneys rise above the rooftops and wall-mounted street lamps project from several buildings. The street surface appears unpaved or lightly surfaced. Buildings vary in style, including brick structures and weatherboarded façades. More houses and rooftops are visible further down the hill in the distance.
Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · 2w ago

The Regal here in Colchester was doing more than showing films. It hosted concerts, live performers, a theatre organ and, in 1964, two Rolling Stones concerts. Did you ever go to a show there, or do you mostly remember it as a cinema?

Historic nighttime street scene at the Regal movie theater: an illuminated marquee advertising Chester Morris in "Sinners in the Sun," an ornate arched window above, and a few coat‑clad patrons gathered on the sidewalk.
Paranormal Reason@paranormalreason.bsky.social · 2w ago

Colchester Castle, Essex. Although sitting quietly in a municipal park these days, the land upon which the surviving castle keep sits has been used for many purposes, even before the castle itself was built. Here you can see Laura, peering in through the bars of the surviving Prison Cell fittings.

Bild
Colchester Museums@colmuseums.bsky.social · 2w ago

Museum of the Moon leaves Colchester Castle at the end of this month. If you're planning a visit, take a look at One Moon, Many Voices: our free collection of moon stories from around the world. Inside you'll find tales from many cultures, showing how people have explained and celebrated the Moon.

Poster-style cover showing a lone silhouetted figure standing on grass against a giant full moon, with the title "ONE MOON" at the top and the cursive subtitle "Many Voices" at the bottom.