Colchester’s Roman circus in the news

On Monday (7th April), local reporter Wendy Brading came to Roman Circus House for a guided tour of the replica starting-gates of the Roman circus and to interview Trust director Philip about developments at the circus site and centre. We (local builders Mick, John and Stewart, assisted by four Trust archaeologists) are busy finishing off the starting-gates this week and we hope to remove all the building rubbish on Friday, ahead of our big volunteer gardening day on Saturday 12th April.

The replica stumps of the walls of the circus starting-gates are being built above the actual foundations of the Roman circus, which are protected below ground, in the garden of the former Sergeants’ Mess next door to Roman Circus House. The stumps will be finished this week. We are appealing for volunteers to come and help us tidy up the garden of the former Sergeants’ Mess ready for the next stage of our enhancement of the site for visitors, which is the installation of two large screens showing what the circus looked like from the starting-gates. We will then open the garden to visitors.

The volunteer gardening day is on Saturday 12th April, 9.00am-4.00pm, in the garden of the former Sergeants’ Mess next door to Roman Circus House. If you would like to come and help, then please contact Philip and the Colchester Archaeological Trust at Roman Circus House, by ‘phone or txt to 07436 273304 or by email to pc[at]catuk.org – and we look forward to working with some gardening volunteers here on Saturday!

We were glad to welcome Wendy again to Roman Circus House, and Philip is always pleased to be interviewed by Wendy, who is a great supporter of the Roman circus site and centre here in Colchester.

The Roman circus site and the circus centre are open every weekday, 10.00am-4.00pm (entrance is free).

Wendy’s article should be published this week, probably in the Daily Gazette on Thursday and again, in shorter form, in the Essex County Standard on Friday.

The images show Wendy and the starting-gates on Monday, with the former Sergeants’ Mess behind her and the town hall on the horizon (photo. by Steve Brading of NewsQuest); and everyone hard at work finishing the starting-gates today (with some interested spectators!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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