Welcome
With a unique mix of fascinating displays, the latest technology and hands-on activities, there is lots for your family to explore and discover across Colchester Museums’ three sites.
- Explore the national story of Roman and Norman conquest, Boudiccan revolt and Civil War at Colchester Castle.
- Enjoy the family friendly displays in Hollytrees Museum, a Beautiful Georgian townhouse set within the stunning Castle Park.
- Find out about wildlife habitats, biodiversity and climate change at the nearby Natural History Museum.
Where will your adventure start?
Venues
Get Involved
Adopt An Object
Choose from twenty of our most fascinating and well-loved objects, which you can symbolically adopt or gift to the history enthusiast in your life! Your support will help us to protect millions of years of local and global history.
Become A Member
Whether you decide to become a Museum Guardian or a Castle Pass holder, your support enables us to keep preserving Colchester’s incredible history and offering visitors of all ages a fun-filled and memorable day.
Support the CMDF
Colchester Museums look after some of the most important historic buildings and museum collections in the country!
Colchester Museums Development Foundation support us to inspire and enrich our local community, through the preservation, exploration, and sharing of the city’s heritage in its widest sense. Discover how you can get involved…
Subscribe
Keep up to date with our latest exhibitions, events and projects by subscribing to our museum mailing list. You’ll receive regular emails with the latest news from Colchester Castle, Hollytrees Museum and the Natural History Museum.
Museum From Home
Collections Online
We hold over 200,000 records of objects, documents, artefacts and specimens: from Natural Science collections spanning millions of years, to a wide range of Social History objects. Our online catalogue allows you to search those collections!
Why not start with one of our highlighted collections? These showcase local records and objects from recent exhibitions.
Museum From Home
Looking for things to do? We have a wide variety of activities to educate and entertain all ages. Inspired by the collections across Colchester and Ipswich, from art to nature, archaeology to social history, let us bring the museum to you!
You can follow us on social media for new ideas or find our library below.
#MuseumFromHome
Ancient Colchester App
The Ancient Colchester App allows you to wander around Colchester City Centre on a Heritage Trail and bring historic sites to life.
Allowing you to explore and delve deeper into the rich heritage and historic sights of Colchester, the Colchester Heritage app is a handy guide, companion and fun-filled way to enrich your visit and bring the history to life.
Including a walking trail, augmented reality, 360 degree panoramic reconstructions, a fun based camera feature and a wealth of historical information there’s pretty much something for everyone.
