| County town of Essex and England's oldest recorded city. It has been
a garrison town since at least Roman times when it was the capital of
the province of Britannia for a while. The settlement was originally
created by the emperor Claudius in 49 AD and was originally named
Camelodunum.
During Boudicca's revolt against Roman rule in 60 AD her followers
descended upon the city and completely destroyed it, as well as
slaughtering most of the Roman citizens there, before marching onwards
to London.
Nearly 1000 years later the Normans built a castle at Colchester which
was one of the first stone castles seen in Britain. Its keep is larger
than that of the Tower of London (which it pre-dates) and is still very
well preserved. A military garrison has been stationed here on and off
ever since and the British army has had a large permanent presence in
the city since the Crimean War.
Today Colchester is a typically diverse British city: it is no longer so
important as a port but is a major regional employer, and is the main
home for the University of Essex.
E1 node, updated for E2 06-Oct-2000
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