
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.



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.






















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…