Colchester Castle, Essex - a photo on Flickriver

Colchester was the first capital of Roman Britain and beneath the Castle are the remains of the most famous Roman buildings, the Temple of Claudius.
To Romans the temple was a symbol of their power and success, but to the native Britons it was a symbol of oppression. The temple became a main target of the rebels led by Queen Boudica who attacked the Roman town of Colchester in AD 60. The town's citizens barricaded themselves into the temple but after two days they were all killed. After the revolt was suppressed the town and its magnificent temple were rebuilt.
Around 1076 William I ordered a royal fortress to be built at Colchester. The great stone base of the ruined Roman temple was an obvious foundation for the central tower, or keep, of the castle.
The huge size of the temple meant that the keep of Colchester Castle was the largest ever built in Britain and is the largest surviving example in Europe. For most of its life the Castle was used as a prison. One of the most infamous episodes in its history occured in 1645 when Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witchfinder General, used the Castle to imprison and interrogate suspected witches.

(source: www.colchestermuseums.org.uk/castle/castle_history.html, 2008)

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Colchester (show map)

Taken on: April 7, 2006

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Colchester

castle

Middle Ages

Medieval

Grade I listed building « less

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Camera: Olympus u-miniS,StylusVS, f/10.0, 1/125 sec, 5.8mm, ISO 64 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Olympus u-miniS,StylusVS
Aperture:	f/10.0
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	5.8mm
ISO:	64
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Version 1.0
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