The Colchester Castle Museum has won awards for improvements made in regard to physical access. It has level or ramped access to the ground floor, a lift to the first floor and an accessibile toilet on the ground floor. Induction loops are fitted in appropriate locations through out the museum. However tours of the Castle itself do include two sets of steep stairs and so are not accessible for people with mobility problems. Disabled people and their helpers are eligible for concessionary rate admissions. For further information regarding facilities for disbaled people please visit their access page.
The Sixties Seen: Art, Music and Fashion (until 1st November)
Currently there is a sixties exhibition at the Castle Museum where you can “Enjoy beautiful examples of fashion from the new boutiques and young designers of the time with pieces by Biba, Mary Quant and John Stephens. With gorgeous dresses, denim suits, coats, kaftans and more you will love this nostalgic look at some of the most memorable fashion of the time.
Discover the art of the time with fabulous pieces of Op-Art, among others, by Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely, who influenced textile design and enjoy pieces by Margaret Mellis, John Howlin and more. Not forgetting the music of the time such as The Who and Jimi Hendrix, there will be fan magazines, posters, album covers and much more.”
On Tuesday 13th October there is a guided tour of the exhibition which will also be British Sign Language Interpreted. The tour is free, after normal Castle admission and starts at 2pm and you do not need to book in advance.
Tea and Talks (Colchester Castle, every Saturday 31st October – 28th November)
The annual Tea and Talk series at the castle this autumn provides a great range of lectures for visitors, covering topics from long ago to the late 20th century. Booking can be made at the Hollytrees Museum, or phoning 01206 282940. All talks have the additional service of being British Sign language interpreted
Local historian Andrew Philips (31st October) kicks things off by showing how Colchester changed in the latter half of the 20th from an old market town to a bustling retail centre. From the 1950s, through the Swinging Sixties to the 1990s, this talk will be a great insight to some, and an enjoyable reminiscence for others.
Patrick Denney (7th November) then takes us back even further to the golden age of theatre and music hall to tell visitors about two of the great events in the early part of the 20th century. The 1909 Colchester Pageant was a hugely ambitious staging of Colchester’s history, while Buffalo Bill’s 1903 visit to Colchester included staggering logistics (his entourage arrived by train, set up a covered 10,000 seater arena, performed their show, took down the arena and left by train – all in one day!!! That’s an arena with the same capacity as the Weston Homes Community Stadium). Annie Oakley – one of the most skilled people with a gun ever to have lived, entertained the Colchester crowds as part of the show.
Following his hugely popular and entertaining talk last year on ‘History through Essex Pub Signs’, local historian Keith Lovell (14th November) is back by popular demand. This talk looks at the origins of the names of beers brewed in the eastern counties. Among those from Essex are Edward Bright Stout, Bitternoth, Braintree Silk, Redoubt, Lighthouse, and many more. (Please note that Old Speckled Hen has nothing to do with chickens or foxes, but with MG Motors!). Sorry, but there will be no samples to taste!
Caroline McDonald, Curator for Archaeology, (21st November) then talks about Gosbecks, a hugely important hub of pre-Roman and Roman Colchester. This often forgotten site holds the true story of the founding of Colchester, and will prove to be a very interesting and enlightening talk.
The series ends with Peter Berridge (28th November) talking about the prisons of Colchester Castle. These prisons saw hundreds of years of criminals (and innocents!), including martyrs and witches, until it was closed in the 1830s as one of the country’s least sanitary prisons.
The talks cost £3.50 each (£3 for Friends of the Museums), or a ticket for all 5 talks can be bought for the price of 4. Tickets can be booked at Hollytrees Museum, or by phoning 01206 282940. Each talk starts at 3pm.
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