Colchester Castle is probably one of the oldest buildings still in use in England that you can actually visit. The large Norman keep is built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, built in the first century AD when Colchester was the Roman capital.
Visiting Colchester Castle
Being in a town centre, Colchester Castle is an easy place to visit. There is no parking at the actual castle but plenty nearby and the castle does have toilets. For cafes, again the town is your best bet. When visiting you do have the option of a guided tour, which is the only way to see the roof and Roman vaults.
My Experience
We spent a while walking through Castle Park, which was very well maintained and allowed us to get a view on three sides of the castle. We then crossed the wooden bridge to enter the keep.
The inside of the keep is an excellent museum with enough detail to appeal to enthusiasts but also plenty of interactive exhibits to keep more casual visitors engaged. The exhibits cover the history of Colchester from Celtic times to modern day and you can easily spend a couple of hours there.
Colchester is a fantastic base for exploring and we found so many places we wanted to visit that were nearby. My blog here gives some information on the other sites we went to.
Colchester Castle Photo Gallery
History
Colchester Castle is a Norman castle in Colchester, Essex, England, dating from the second half of the eleventh century. The keep of the castle is mostly intact and is the largest example of its kind anywhere in Europe, due to its being built on the foundations of a Roman temple. The castle endured a three-month siege in 1216, but had fallen into disrepair by the seventeenth century when the curtain walls and some of the keep’s upper parts were demolished; its original height is debated. The remaining structure was used as a prison and was partially restored as a large garden pavilion, but was purchased by Colchester Borough Council in 1922. The castle has since 1860 housed Colchester Museum, which has an important collection of Roman exhibits. It is a scheduled monument and a Grade I listed building.
References
The castle museum site is here with full information on tours and opening times.
The history above is copied from the Wiki page here and there is a far more detailed history on the site.