Today we pause for Remembrance Sunday. This year our Then & Now displays include a small tribute to Anna Guérin, sometimes called the "Poppy Lady of France". After the First World War she championed an Inter Allied Poppy Day and helped set Britain’s first Poppy Day in 1921.

Cosy season sorted. From apple-scented candles and a book of witchy cocktails to warm socks, a very friendly dragon, or history mugs, the Castle gift shop is full of little comforts for dark evenings. Find something special this November. We’re open daily 10–5. What would you take home?

Step back into Roman Colchester! Colchester was Britain’s first city and the capital of Roman Britain. Known as Camulodunum, it was a thriving hub of trade, culture, and innovation. Every object in this display tells a piece of that story.

Saint George towers over a tiny dragon on this medieval carved bone lid, symbolising good’s triumph over evil. Not quite medieval fantasy, and yet… See how art and myth collide in Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

Did you guess our #ThrowbackThursday? It’s West Stockwell Street! The photo from 1940 shows a jettied, timber‑framed house with small leaded windows and steep gables.

It’s #ThrowbackThursday and we have a quiet corner with a timber frame, an upper floor that seems to float above the pavement, and small leaded panes catching the light. Where do you think this is? Have a guess and come back for the reveal after lunch.

Before fireworks, there was the hearth. Families worried about sparks and strange luck, so they hid shoes and clothes in chimneys, walls and under stairs. Clothing was thought to keep a person’s imprint and to stand guard for the household.

Bonfire Night is made of the small rituals that keep us together: extra scarf, shared torchlight, a quick check on a neighbour. If you’re out tomorrow, a warm museum wander first makes a fine prelude!

The unicorn’s power is in the story: wild and untameable, gentle only in a maiden’s presence, carried across Europe by books and tapestries. Come trace the legend in Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle. Plan your visit: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythi...

Black Shuck, the spectral dog of East Anglia, prowled churches in 1577. Could a big rogue pet or escaped zoo animal explain it? You decide. Explore local legend and the hauntingly real in Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

Our 19th-century "Ocean of Love and Land of Matrimony" map turns romance into a voyage, with storms, islands and the occasional rocky shore. Today at Colchester Castle, young explorers can draw their own worlds at Uncharted Territories: Map Workshop.

This silk mourning dress, c.1876, was designed for the strict rituals of Victorian grief. Made of black silk, it has beaded cuffs, tassel trim, and a pleated skirt. Decoration was permitted, but only in black.

I found the gaol cells in Colchester Castle deeply moving. With the excellent @benpaites.bsky.social as our guide, it’s impossible not to think of the hours, days, weeks of misery spent in that place.

They got me on ITV too…

With support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we’re refreshing Colchester’s Natural History Museum. What does “natural history” mean to you, and what would make you visit? Tell us in our short survey: buff.ly/uS4spfx

Oh wow! I wish I lived in Colchester just for this… What a fabulous (literally) idea! 🧜🧜‍♂️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♂️🧜

Visited the ‘Gladiators of Britain’ exhibition in Chester’s Grosvenor Museum. A collab. b/w British Museum & @colmuseums.bsky.social. A small but mighty display - inc. the stunning ‘Colchester Vase’ and some lovely slate from n.Wales (and much more besides). Free to visit, there til Jan.

Come work with meeee!

What a cool thing. Wonderful details #ridersonsmallhorses

Oh in case I haven’t said it lately — there are a lot of museums on BlueSky and you should follow them all! They are interesting and have fun banter with each other! The exact opposite of hostile disinformation!

this would make a great Girl Scout cookie... I would buy them... chocolate shortbread Medusas...

ICYMI: Our curator Ben Paites spoke to ITV News about Matthew Hopkins, the so‑called Witchfinder General, and the East Anglian trials. From Manningtree and Elizabeth Clarke to the cells beneath Colchester Castle. Watch: www.itv.com/watch/news/w...

A shell built room by room: the Chambered Nautilus adjusts its buoyancy like a tiny submarine. It’s the kind of real creature that fuels maritime myths.

Tonight’s final Witches of Essex on Sky HISTORY airs at 9pm. It follows Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witchfinder General, whose campaign began in Manningtree in 1645 with colleague John Stearne. Fear, gossip and a printed “guide” were used to accuse mostly women.

Thought we were closed? Not quite. It may look spooky from the trees and scaffolding, but there are definitely signs of life at Colchester’s Natural History Museum.

At NHM all week to hear from you. Adults can do a quick survey and little ones can vote-by-sticker. Your ideas will help shape the museum’s future. Not going to be in town this week? You can still fill in the survey online at this link: buff.ly/PX4BJlH

October’s Mini Museum Explorers was a joy: crafts, learning, a bit of hide and seek, and sensory play. Friendly, hands-on, and made for little ones and their grown-ups. Fancy joining the next session? Book your spot for the next dates via our website: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/

When you hear it’s under £20 for a whole year… Our Museums Pass gives unlimited visits to Colchester Castle and our museums for 12 months. More history, more often. Get yours today: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/memberships/

This Delftware drug jar from the 1600s once held a concoction prepared by a local apothecary. Our High Street once had one of these shops, where mixtures of herbs, minerals and the occasional odd ingredient were dispensed with great confidence (if not always great results).

Job opportunity at Colchester Museums: Collections and Learning Assistant (Natural Sciences). Support the Natural History Museum redevelopment by researching collections and creating schools workshops, teacher CPD and a schools ‘roadshow’. Apply by 7 November 2025: buff.ly/Momny1q

This medieval chess piece, carved from walrus ivory around 1300–1500, shows a knight surrounded by his tiny soldiers; proof that strategy and imagination have always gone hand in hand.

Next week at Colchester’s Natural History Museum: meet animals at the Curious Creatures Mobile Zoo on Monday. Throughout the week, design your ideal gallery in Create Your Dream Museum, and add a message to the Listening Tree. Come along and get stuck in: buff.ly/bDQsfUC

This isn’t a Halloween prop, though it looks the part! This Victorian mourning ring is woven from human hair. In the 19th century, jewellery like this kept loved ones close, even after death.

This gold ring commemorates F. Meads, who died on 31 December 1725, aged 74. The band is decorated with bones and a skull, etched in gold and enamel. These motifs were reminders of mortality, known as memento mori.

In ancient myth, Medusa’s snaky hair was said to turn people to stone. The Romans used her image, like this antefix tile, to keep evil at bay and protect their homes. This Halloween season, we’re exploring the myths behind the monsters.

🕯️ St Osyth, 1582: hunger, grief and suspicion. Ursula Kemp, a midwife and folk healer, was accused after a neighbourly rift. Accusations snowballed, her young son was pressured to testify, and she was condemned. Witches of Essex continues tonight at 9pm on Sky History. Keep an eye out for us!

Few places left for Knightzzz at the Museum, Sat 25 Oct. Choose your sleeping spot, meet costumed characters, explore hidden spaces, hot chocolate at lights‑out and a light breakfast. Ages 5+. From £40pp. Book by phone: Colchester Castle 01206 282939 (10am–4.30pm).

Not all dragons are created equal: traditional dragons have four legs and wings, while wyverns walk on two. And their breath? Sometimes fiery, sometimes poisonous. Get up close with dragon diversity in Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

Wild About Essex will refresh Colchester’s Natural History Museum. What would make the space feel more accessible and relevant to you? Tell us here: buff.ly/uS4spfx #WildAboutEssex #HaveYourSay

In Ancient Greece, fossil Protoceratops may have sparked tales of griffins guarding gold in the Gobi Desert. Meet the legends behind the myth in Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

Our next Mini Museum Explorers session is on Tuesday, 21 October, and this month, we’re exploring bones and skeletons in all sorts of hands-on ways. Children can examine real X-rays in a light box, decorate their own sugar skull mask, and piece together a skeleton from our sensory box.

This Roman face pot was found in a grave with ceramic flagons and a lamp, dating to AD 50–100. The cremation itself has not survived. Face pots were unusual cremation vessels, with human features applied to their surface. No two are the same.

Make sure to catch Witches of Essex on Now TV or Apple TV. You might spot a familiar face…

We’re starting a Halloween series on mourning practices with a small statement: a mourning ring with a white crucifix on a black bezel.

Did you catch the Witches of Essex last night? It re-examines the trials when hundreds of women were condemned as witches and explores how fear and prejudice fuelled one of the darkest chapters in our history. The full series is on demand now. Keep watching and you might just spot us!

🔮 Tonight on Sky you can catch the new series Witches of Essex where they explore the dark side of the county’s past. Before it airs, why not check out this special Bethnal Archives episode featuring our curator Ben Paites, where he reveals the real reasons behind the witch trials.

Do you have a preschooler curious about science and the natural world? Join us on 21 Oct for our next Mini Museum Explorers. This month, we’re exploring the world of bones and skeletons.

Help shape the redeveloped Natural History Museum. What would make the building work better for you on a rainy day or any day? Share ideas in 5 minutes: buff.ly/uS4spfx #NaturalHistoryMuseum #WildAboutEssex #HaveYourSay

An evening of uneasy history at Colchester Castle: A. D. Bergin discusses The Wicked of the Earth, then curator Ben Paites explores the town’s witchfinding past. Includes a brief look at the prisons. Thu 16 Oct • Adults • Limited bar Tickets: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/twote-adbergin

Essex fossils have a way of starting rumours. Megalodon teeth on the coast. Mammoth bones in the gravel. No surprise our villages are full of dragon stories. Video courtesy of Bethnal Archives - more here: youtube.com/@BethnalArchives