File:Colchester Castle - geograph.org.uk - 891015.jpg

English: Colchester Castle This fine old castle houses Colchester's extensive and interesting museum - or more correctly the main museum as there are several others dotted about this ancient town. The original casing of facing stones have long gone showing the rocks, mortar and reclaimed Roman bricks that formed the internal structure of the castle's walls. The flags flying from poles along the elevated walkway to the main entrance are advertising a temporary exhibition of Chinese terracotta statues; not the famous "Terracotta Army" from Xian, but some similarly ancient funerary statuettes from Xuzhou, mostly about 18" tall rather than being life-sized - but still very impressive as well as being attractive and interesting.

The museum itself contains many fascinating artefacts ranging from palæolithic flint tools half a million years old through every era to the recent past. There are particularly good examples from the Bronze Age, such as numerous axe-heads, and not surprisingly considering the town's past a huge array of remarkable Roman artefacts. In my opinion this is a superb museum well worth the entrance fee.

Note: the barreling effect is caused by panoramic distortion, the roofline not in fact being curved like this.