Colchester was known as Colecestra in Domesday and probably derived its name from 'Roman town on the River Colne'. It is the oldest recorded town in England and Cunobelin, King of the Belgic tribe Catuvellauni, made it his capital in the first century and was the most powerful king in pre-Roman Britain. He ruled the whole of the southwest from here. Later the Romans built the High Street and the town became prosperous with many retired legionaries settling here.
The Normans built the largest castle keep in England in Colchester and the town developed as an important cloth centre with the influx of Flemish refugees in the 17th and 18th centuries. Traditional industries associated with oysters and roses have now been replaced by light engineering.
Facilities include resident management, lounge, dining room, guest facilities and garden.
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