Heritage Open Day at the Roman circus centre on 10th September: come to the NAAFI!

Come and enjoy a ‘NAAFI break’ at the Colchester Roman circus centre on Saturday 10th September!

In the British Services, a ‘NAAFI break’ was a short leisure break including a cup of tea and, usually, a cigarette… Serving personnel would normally have gone to their NAAFI or a NAAFI tea wagon and, if they wanted to make the most of their NAAFI break, then they would have indulged in ‘char and wad’ (tea and a bun).

The Trust’s HQ and the Roman circus centre are housed in the former NAAFI of the former Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks of the famous old Colchester garrison. This was built in 1937 to provide leisure and social facilities for the soldiers of the barracks, of a brigade or, later, a field regiment, of the Royal Field Artillery. Our circus centre tea room is in what was the men’s restaurant. The soldiers would have come here for their ‘char and wad’, or light meals, or beer; to buy essentials like chocolate, cigarettes, matches, razors, Blanko, etc; to read the newspapers and write letters; to play games such as billiards or darts; and even for parties! The NAAFI would have been staffed predominantly by women. The circus centre occupies most of the ground floor of the building, while our HQ consists of part of the ground floor, the first floor and the small second floor. As the circus centre, it is the only building of the old Colchester garrison which has public access. Our NAAFI was very well designed and well built: the whole of it is not usually open to the public but, on one day a year, we open it up to visitors – during the Heritage Open Days festival in September. #

The annual, national Heritage Open Days are co-ordinated by the National Trust, and they are also held throughout Europe. Heritage Open Days say that: ‘Heritage Open Days is England’s biggest festival of history and culture involving over 40,000 volunteers. Every year over four days in September, thousands of events across the country invite you in to explore local treasures of every age, style and function. It’s your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – and it’s all FREE …’.

So, come and enjoy a NAAFI break at the Roman circus centre! – and see what we’ve got for you.
* great vintage military vehicles in the garden – come and have a look and chat to their enthusiastic owners
* WW2 Home Front re-enactors: meet a policeman and our Fire Warden with his working water-hoses and siren…
* vintage kitchenalia in the former NAAFI kitchen
* six guided tours of the NAAFI (the tour includes two staircases)
* popular songs of the 1930s and 1940s in our tea room
* some NAAFI-recipe cakes to enjoy in the tea room (as priced)
* a selection of film extracts from the East Anglian Film Archive
* a small static display about the NAAFI
* our brand-new display of vintage NAAFI artefacts
* a small static display about Sergeant Jim Goodman of the 27th Field Regiment, who was stationed here in the 1930s
* a selection of WW2-themed hats and helmets for children to try on
* – and more!

10.30am-4.30pm – admission free! The ground floor, grounds and tea room are wheelchair-/pushchair-accessible.
# The guided tour of the NAAFI will include the spaces which were, originally, the men’s restaurant, the servery, the corporals’ restaurant, the corporals’ stairs, the corporals’ games room, the men’s games room, the reading room, the manageress’s quarters, the staff stairs, the service corridor, the scullery, and the kitchen.

In Colchester this year, during the Heritage Open Days festival, 24 buildings will be open to visitors, including our NAAFI, as well as the lightship at the Hythe, and there will also be several related events and activities, including a tour of the Roman town wall. Colchester Borough Council publishes a free Heritage Open Days leaflet for the town every year, and the 2016 leaflet will be available soon.

Visit the Heritage Open Days web-site at www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ and search for participating buildings and activities and events in your area.

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