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

Colchester Castle

A visit to Colchester Castle is better than ever before with interactive displays and star exhibits, like the Colchester Gladiator Vase and Fenwick Hoard of Roman treasure. 

 

OPEN MON – SUN

Hollytrees Museum

Enjoy 300 years of history in this beautiful Georgian townhouse through hands-on exhibits and displays. Discover what family life was life for the rich and the poor.

 

OPEN MON – SAT

Natural History Museum

Get up close to creatures great and small, past and present, at this family-friendly museum. Our displays will help you learn about local habitats, biodiversity and climate change. 

 

OPEN TUES – SUN

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.

What's On

Events

Discover something new in Colchester. Browse the diary to find fun, family-friendly events all year round.

Exhibitions + Displays

Our displays showcase the variety of the collections from art to archaeology, costume to clocks.

 

Where will your adventure start?