a note on heritage tourism in Colchester

As it is the Easter weekend, traditionally a big weekend for visiting heritage sites, monuments, museums, etc, and the start of the tourism season, it made us think about the modern history of monuments and heritage tourism, especially in Colchester.

The Trust recently acquired a copy of a book published by T. Nelson in 1850 and titled Ruins of Sacred and Historic Lands. No author is given but we think that it was written by the Right Rev M Russell of St John’s College, Oxford. This copy was inscribed on the front endpaper by its owner Richard Ingham in 1850, so it was bought pretty hot off the press. The book is subdivided into four continents, starting with ‘The beginning of empires’, and including ‘Babylon’, ‘Jerusalem’, ‘Egypt’, ‘The New World’, and ‘Rome’, and culminating with ‘British Pagan Temples’. Roman Britain and, especially, Colchester, were obviously outside the scope of this book, which focuses on the high-status archaeology and big names of exotic lands and presents a religious, Christian thesis on the divine system and the fall of non-Christian empires. It’s a bit like an extremely high-class tourist guide!

Contemporary European interest in the archaeology of ancient empires and Biblical archaeology is reflected in the excavations which were conducted and by publications in the 1840s, for example, excavation at the Assyrian site of Nineveh and initial work at Ephesus in 1845. However, in Britain, general interest in archaeology here was growing. Individual antiquarians and historians had been trying to record, collect and interpret archaeological evidence before now – for example, the Rev. Philip Morant published The History and Antiquities of Colchester in 1748 – and archaeological excavation was being developed from the end of the 18th century. But, in the 19th century, the interest in archaeology, and the archaeology of Britain, increased.

The British Archaeological Association was founded in London in 1843. In 1847, their annual journal (vol. II) included four items on and several items referring to the archaeology of Colchester – the town was obviously an archaeological hotspot in 1847! The main items are:  ‘On the Coins of Cunobeline and of the Ancient Britons’ by the Rev Beale Post; ‘Notes on Roman Remains at Colchester’ by C Roach Smith FSA; ‘Notice of the Remains of a Roman Villa [Discovered in the Parish of Stanway, Essex, in the year 1842′] by Henry Jenkins;  ‘On Leaden Coffins, Discovered at Colchester’ by C Roach Smith FSA; and ‘Report of an Archaeological Visit to Colchester [made by several members of the Association]‘. Mr Wire of Colchester is mentioned a few times, including in the ‘Proceedings of the Association’ (William Wire was a keen amateur antiquarian and archaeologist in Colchester). The ‘Roman Villa’ was at Gosbecks.

The ‘Archaeological Visit’ to Colchester was, apparently, the first public excursion of the Association, and it lasted two days. (The railway from London had reached Colchester in 1843.) Because of their connections with people in the town, the members were able to visit archaeological remains which were in private ownership and not open to the public. They made a walking tour of the town which we could still follow today. They visited the castle, churches (St James’, St Nicholas’, All Saints’), part of the Roman town wall, the ruins of St Botolph’s priory, St Giles’ church, St John’s abbey gateway, ‘the Balkon gate’, St Peter’s church, Norman structural remains exposed in foundry-yard [off the High Street], St Martin’s church, some ‘rough’ Roman pavement exposed in the market-place [in the High Street], and Trinity church. In the evening, the members dined at the Red Lion hotel and attended a public archaeological meeting. After a look round the Red Lion itself, where they also stayed overnight, the members enjoyed an equally busy second day of the visit, starting at the town’s museum and then visiting Mrs Mills’ private collection of local antiquities at Lexden Park. They then proceeded to Rivenhall and then on to Felix Hall before returning to London by train.

From the fascinating ‘Notes on Roman Remains at Colchester’ in the same volume: ‘… THE object of the following notes is to draw the attention of antiquaries to some of the more remarkable Roman remains still extant in the town of Colchester, which are not generally known, or, if visited occasionally, are usually passed over without that careful scrutiny which they merit; to record some of the more interesting objects which have been discovered; and to offer a few suggestions and remarks …’

Of course, we are still recording archaeological evidence and making new discoveries here in Colchester, including top-level Roman archaeology, which would amaze the 19th-century antiquarians. The Roman circus, for example, which is monumental and exotic and right here…

Read the journal at http://archive.org/stream/journalbritisha00assogoog#page/n5/mode/2up

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