Friends of the Trust visit Roman Colchester at British Museum

Yesterday (31st October), the Friends of the Trust (FCAT) went on an excursion to the British Museum in London. After some welcome free time in the museum shop and café, the Friends met up with Ralph Jackson, who is a curator in the Department of Prehistory and Europe at the museum. Last year, Ralph came to Colchester and gave the Friends a lecture on the 19th-century antiquarians of Colchester and their collections of archaeological finds, many of which are now held by and on display in the British Museum. At the museum, yesterday, Ralph gave the Friends a guided tour of some of the great Colchester finds which are on display there, in different parts of the museum, and which he had discussed at the lecture last year.

The tour started in the Roman Gallery, and included replica medical instruments (originals from the ‘doctor’s grave’ at Stanway near Colchester, which the Trust excavated). Also on display in the Roman Gallery are the remarkable pottery vase and glass cup, both from Colchester, which are decorated with Roman circus scenes. The tour continued in the Enlightenment Gallery where the Friends looked at the remarkable Pollexfen Collection, many items of which are from Colchester. The Colchester finds were purchased by or donated to the museum; donors include Colchester Museum and the Colchester Excavation Committee. Sellers include collectors such as Edward Acton and the Rev. John Pollexfen. Ralph’s tour was about the Roman artefacts and also about the history of archaeology, collectors and museums and the stories of the individuals involved. He has written an article based on his lecture to the Friends which was published in the Trust’s Colchester Archaeologist magazine (pages 16-23, in magazine no 25, published 2012); the article includes a picture of the famous Colchester circus vase, which the museum bought from Edward Acton in 1844.

The Friends’ visit culminated in some more free time in the museum shop and café… Their drive home included a detour through the Olympic Village in the East End of London, and one of the Friends gave an impromptu guided tour of some of the Olympic buildings which their coach passed!

Trust archaeology volunteer Catherine thought that everyone enjoyed the excursion and said that ‘It was very interesting, and very enjoyable’.

Thanks to Catherine for all the information on the excursion. For more information on the Friends, go to www.thecolchesterarchaeologist.co.uk/?cat=27 on this web-site.

The image shows a Roman charioteer racing his quadriga (racing-chariot) and four horses on the Colchester circus vase.

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