Colchester Castle

Top choice in East Anglia

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Built in 1076 on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, England’s largest surviving Norman keep is bigger than that of the Tower of London. Over the centuries it’s been a royal residence, a prison and home to the Witchfinder General. An imaginative £4-million restoration has added a cracking son et lumière which recreates lost internal structures.

Other highlights include the 'Fenwick Hoard' of Roman gold and silver jewellery, and guided tours onto the castle roof (adult/child £3/1.50, booking required).

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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    23.44 MILES

    Somehow missed by plundering robbers and left undisturbed for 1300 years, the hull of an enormous Anglo-Saxon ship was discovered here in 1939, buried…

  • Abbey Gardens

    Abbey Gardens

    25.67 MILES

    Now a picturesque ruin in parkland behind the cathedral, Bury's once-mighty abbey still impresses despite the townspeople having made off with much of the…

  • St Edmundsbury Cathedral

    St Edmundsbury Cathedral

    25.7 MILES

    The 45m-high tower of this cathedral was only completed in 2005 and is a vision in Lincolnshire limestone – its traditional Gothic-style construction…

  • Gainsborough's House

    Gainsborough's House

    12.65 MILES

    Thomas Gainsborough's atmospheric birthplace is now home to the world's largest collection of his work. The 16th-century house and gardens feature a…

  • Flatford

    Flatford

    6.93 MILES

    Set right beside Flatford Mill – a feature of several Constable paintings – thatched Bridge Cottage has an exhibition that provides a fine introduction to…

  • Kentwell Hall

    Kentwell Hall

    16.39 MILES

    Gorgeous, turreted Kentwell Hall may date from the 1500s and be full of Tudor grandeur, but it's still used as a private home, lending it a wonderfully…

  • Theatre Royal

    Theatre Royal

    25.48 MILES

    A rare treat – Britain's only working Regency playhouse features ornate gilding, sweeps of boxes and a trompe l'oeil ceiling, all revealed on self-led …

  • Moyse's Hall

    Moyse's Hall

    25.91 MILES

    Set in an impressive 12th-century undercroft, Moyse's Hall's rarities include a locket containing some of Mary Tudor's hair, finds from the town's ruined…

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Nearby East Anglia attractions

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