Support Collections Care at Colchester Museums

Adopt an object or gift an object adoption to the history enthusiast in your life!

Colchester Museums houses a significant collection of objects, artefacts, and specimens, ranging from Roman jewellery and weaponry to Natural Science collections spanning millions of years. We have put together an eclectic mix of twenty of our most fascinating and well-loved objects, which you can adopt to help provide the essential support we need to help us preserve, explore and share the 200,000+ objects in our care.

Your donation will help us to protect millions of years of local and global history through care of our collections. Visit the museums or check out Collections Online to see what you have helped support.

 

How It Works

Step one – Choose a Donation Tier

All adoptions are for one year and our objects can be adopted by multiple people, except for our Gold object, which is for five adopters only.

Bronze Benefits

£10 – 30

  • A digital adoption certificate with a photo of your object
  • Your name placed on our adopter’s Thank You board in the Castle
  • Subscription to the CMDF quarterly newsletter

Silver Benefits

£60 – 100

  • Invitation to VIP exhibition openings
  • A physical and digital adoption certificate with a photo of your object
  • Your name placed on our adopter’s Thank You board in the Castle
  • Subscription to the CMDF quarterly newsletter

Gold Benefits

£300

  • Be one of only five adopters of the famous Colchester Vase
  • An invitation to an exclusive viewing of the object with a curator
  • An Invitation to VIP exhibition openings
  • A physical and digital adoption certificate with a photo of your object
  • Your name placed on our adopter’s Thank You board in the Castle
  • Subscription to the CMDF quarterly newsletter

Step Two – Choose your object + make a donation

Simply click on Adopt Me under your chosen object to complete your donation. If you are adopting your object as a gift, you can leave a message to be included in the dedication. Please don’t forget to opt in to Gift Aid, which will increase any donations you make to CMDF by 25% for no extra cost.

Roman Face Pot

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This face pot was excavated from the area of Stanwell Street in Colchester over 100 years ago and dates to AD 43-300. Face pots are unusual Roman cremation vessels that have a face applied to the body of the pot. Although there are similarities in style, each one is unique in some way. They are rare in Britain and have been associated with the Roman army, which may explain their popularity in Colchester. It is unknown whether the face was meant to represent an image of the deceased, a god or goddess or had some other meaning.

Roman Glass Jug

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This small Roman jug of clear blue-green glass dates to around AD 170 – 300. The spout would have enabled more controlled pouring, while its size suggests only small quantities of the contents would have been required. Colchester Museums curate one of the best collections of Roman glass in the country, especially of the first century AD, thanks to Boudica’s rebellion and destruction of the town. The Romans used glass to manufacture a huge range of objects, from bottles, bowls and bath flasks, to hairpins, gaming counters and even windowpanes.

Medieval Snail Tile

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This medieval glazed tile is decorated with three snails. In the medieval period, snails were known for their strength, being able to carry their home on their back. They are found doodled in illuminated manuscripts dating from the thirteenth to the late fifteenth century, often fighting knights – a symbol of deceptive courage.

Concealed Coat

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This jacket was found hidden in a house near Maldon and was donated to the museum in 1942. It likely dates somewhere between 1650 and 1666 and would have been worn by a serving man who worked at the household. Clothing and other items can be found inside the walls and under the floors of old buildings. Sometimes these are accidental losses, but often people placed these objects inside the fabric of the building as a form of magical protection.

Gladiator Helmet Lamp

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This Roman lamp has been made in the shape of a Murmillo gladiator’s helmet. Gladiators were incredibly popular in the Roman world and fought across the Empire in arenas, known as amphitheatres. The murmillo gladiator was a popular type, armed with an oblong shield, a short sword, and a distinctive helmet. The helmet would have been incredibly heavy to wear, with the holed visor restricting the fighter’s vision.

Millefiori Brooch

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

The design of this Roman brooch has been created using a glasswork technique called millefiori. This involves long rods of coloured glass being fused together. This fused cane of glass is then sliced and the small sections of patterned glass are fitted into the brooch. It is a rare type of decoration for objects and this brooch is a unique example from Roman Britain.

Twinkle Twinkle Musical Toy

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

In the early 1800’s, the Poet Jane Taylor lived in Colchester. It’s here that she is believed to have written the internationally loved poem ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. The poem hasn’t lost popularity and is regularly used in children’s musical toys like this Fisher Price music box from the 1990s. You can see this in the Hollytrees Museum in the Childhood Gallery.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Car

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

This is a toy model made by Corgi of the car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the 1968 film. The figurines inside the car are the main characters Carcatacus, Jeremy and Jemima Potts, and Truly Scrumptious. The model is equipped with the retractable yellow and red wings. The model is currently on display in the Hollytrees Museum.

Rabbits

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

The painter Alfred Richardson Barber was born and lived in Colchester towards the end of the 1800s. Barber enjoyed painting animals and still lifes. This painting that captures a group of rabbits grazing on fresh vegetables is one of many studies of rabbits that Barber painted. You can view this painting at Hollytrees Museum, where it’s on display in the Childhood Gallery.

Sheela na Gigg

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This sculpture depicts Sheela-Na-Gig, a naked woman exposing her vagina. It once decorated St Mary’s Church in Eastthorpe, Essex. Images like this were seen in churches across Britain, and no one is sure why. It has been suggested that these images were used to teach morals in an age of low literacy. The sculpture is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Whalebone Pub Sign

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: the Natural History Museum

The sign was hung initially from the Whalebone Inn pub. The Whalebone was situated at 22 East Hill in Colchester and closed in 1935. The sign is made from a whale’s shoulder blade bone (scapula). One side is painted green, with the remains of the inscription in yellow.

Mount of a Lemming

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: the Natural History Museum

This is a mount of a lemming, a small rodent usually found near the Arctic. Fossil evidence shows that lemmings lived alongside Woolly mammoths in the Colchester area during the Pleistocene period. This species now lives in parts of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia. They spend the winter in nests under the snow, but when it thaws in spring, they move to lower ground, where they spend the summer.

Flying Penis Amulet

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This mount or pendant is in the shape of a winged penis. The Romans believed images of the penis had magical protective properties. They would be worn as jewellery or put on buildings to keep away evil. The object is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Medieval Silver Brooch

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This medieval silver brooch is decorated with gilt roses and dates to the 1300s. An inscription on the front reads IHS EST AMOR CORDIS MEI, which is Latin for ‘Jesus is the love of my heart’. It was discovered in Great Bromley, Essex. The brooch is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Lexden Griffin

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This copper alloy mount is in the form of a griffin’s head. It dates to the late Iron Age and was found in a burial at Lexden in 1924. It was likely part of a piece of furniture or decorated a large metal vessel of some kind. The mount is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Elizabethan Pendant

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This pendant dates to the 1500s and is made of gold, ruby and diamond. It would have been worn by an incredibly wealthy person, with a very similar example being seen in a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. Unlike most pendants that are worn around the neck, this may have been sewn into a dress or other item of clothing. The pendant is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Green Lady

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This medieval wall painting depicts a woman in a long green dress. It originally decorated the wall of St Osyth Priory and is believed to date to 1395. The person depicted is unknown, but as an Augustinian Abbey, it is unlikely to be someone associated with the priory. It perhaps depicts a saint, but it is not clear which. Mary, Queen of Heaven, is sometimes portrayed with a crown of flowers. The painting is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Viking Axe

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

One of the most iconic objects associated with the Vikings is the axe. This axe was found in the river Colne, which runs through Colchester. It may indicate conflict in the area, or perhaps it was placed in the river as an offering to the gods. Historical records suggest the Vikings were only in Essex for 100 years, making this an exceptional find. The axe is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Victorian Rocking Horse

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

Rocking horses were a popular toy for children during the Victorian period. This dapple-grey rocking horse made between 1890-1900 is an excellent example of what Victorian rocking horses looked like. They were made of wood, and the mane and tail were usually made of horse hair. This is on display at Hollytrees Museum in the Childhood Gallery.

Paralympic Becky

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

This Becky Doll, Friend of Barbie, was produced just before the Paralympic Games in Sydney in 2000. She has a racing-style wheelchair, gold medal, helmet and water bottle. This was one of the early Barbie dolls created to represent people with disabilities. Mattel has since produced other inclusive dolls, such as Barbies with behind-the-ear hearing aids, vitiligo and Down syndrome. You can see Becky on display in the Childhood Gallery at Hollytrees Museum.

Skull of a Crocodile

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: the Natural History Museum

The saltwater crocodile is the largest living crocodilian on the planet, which has remained relatively unchanged for around 200 million years. It is now found in saltwater wetlands and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. Saltwater crocodiles ambush their prey and then drown them before swallowing them whole. They will eat almost any animal, from mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds and fish to other crocodiles and even sharks.

The Colchester Vase

Adopt by donating: Gold £300

Find me at: Colchester Castle

The ‘Colchester Vase’ is one of the most important, and perhaps famous, pots from Roman Britain, depicting Roman amphitheatre scenes. It was made in Colchester’s pottery kilns, later re-used as a cremation vessel, and buried in a cemetery to the west of the town. The pot depicts arena performers, including two animal hunters named Secundus and Mario, fighting a bear. A pair of gladiators – Memnon, a well-armoured secutor gladiator, and his opponent Valentinus, a retiarius gladiator. Valentinus raises his index finger, signalling his defeat.

Where Does Your Money Go?

Colchester Museums Development Foundation

 

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 town’s heritage in its widest sense. Discover how you can get involved…

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?