The tree is twinkling, the corridors are quiet, and we're very grateful for everyone who has visited and supported Colchester Museums this year. If you're thinking about a trip over the festive break, or in the new year, you can find visit details here: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/visit-us/

Thank you so much for visiting us this year! We’re wishing you a joyful festive season and a bright, inspiring start to 2026. We’ll be taking a short break from 24–27 December and on 1 January, but we’ll be open as usual from 28–31 December. We can’t wait to welcome you back soon!

If you're still out shopping for Christmas, visit our gift shop before we close for the holidays. We have unique books, toys, games, and local treats you won't find in chain stores. Stop by to finish your list in one go, before we close until after Christmas!

Ever wondered what it’s like to work in a museum? We're offering a week-long work experience placement for 4 students in years 10–13. Apply by 4pm, 16 January. Learn more here: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/work-experience Please share with any young person who’d jump at this.

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Clearly some things need minimal to no improvement eh?

But can you find the shark's tooth too?

For all my fellow potters 😂

I once did an entire lecture that had something like 40 slides of Roman flying phalluses and the like. Preserve them so other academics can continue in this worthy practice!

Adopting a museum object is a great idea!

Heads-up: we’ll be closed 24–27 December and on 1 January. If you’re at a loose end in Twixtmas, Mythical Creatures is still open at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/visit/colchester-castle

Petrol was rationed, bikes ruled the road, and a trip to the pictures meant the flea pit if you were skint. This week’s Then & Now pick is Headgate in 1944, where the cycle traffic sparked memories from our care‑home sessions of making do and only driving when essential.

Who doesn’t like a quality piece of pottery though?

This morning’s #ThrowbackThursday showed Head Street in 1931. Fast-forward to today, and while the names have changed the façade remains. This frontage was built on the site of Dr. P. G. Laver’s former home and surgery, and it’s still a feature on the west side of Head Street.

Here’s a slice of Colchester from 1931 to kick off today’s #ThrowbackThursday. This street scene includes a hardware shop, the local gas company offices, and a LOT of hats! Recognise where this is? Give us your guesses and check back later for the modern view.

Mermaids were vain, yes, but also protective. Carved onto ship bows to guide sailors safely through storms. Explore their stories this winter at Mythical Creatures, on now at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

Go for gold this Christmas. Tomorrow is the last day to order an adoption that will arrive in time for Christmas. Give a gift that glitters and does good. From medieval rings to Roman pearl earrings, your support helps care for 200,000+ objects. Adopt at colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/adoptanobject

Plus this shape.was incorporated into the mouthpieces of the Irish Type E jointed snaffle, also as an amulet against those who'd pray the scud on you and your horse. Roman ideas were *everywhere*!

Cute ways to describe Roman antiquities ... coy, racy and winking 😏 Adopt one?

Prefer the hush to the hoover? In the 1920s the Ewbank Merit carpet sweeper used twin brush rollers to collect dust in small pans, ready to tip out. No plug, just a push. Adopt this beautifully made bit of domestic history and support our collection: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/adoptanobject

Thiis such a great idea! 😎 #museums #colchester #history

Looking for a Christmas gift that’s protective, portable and a little bit outrageous? Adopt a Roman flying phallus. Perfect for the impossible-to-buy-for friend, AND adoptions help conserve objects at Colchester Museums. Adopt: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/adoptanobject

Looking for a festive plan you can book today? We’ve got a few last-minute spaces across Christmas events at Colchester Museums. Reserve your spot now, all tickets are available online: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events

Two Roman earrings, hidden beneath Colchester during the chaos of AD 60/61, survived to tell their story. This Christmas you can adopt them and support the care of the Fenwick Treasure. Adopt the Fenwick Earrings: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/adoptanobject Would you wear these today?

Still time to book for the last Mini Museum Explorers of the year – and it’s going to be a festive one! Join us on Tuesday to explore the North Pole through stories, crafts, and sensory activities.

A present that won’t gather dust: adopt a medieval mystery. The Green Lady of St Osyth is a 14th‑century wall painting, rescued and now cared for by Colchester Museums. Your gift supports conservation and keeps her story public. Adopt: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/adoptanobject

A gift with bite, feathers, or a very big set of antlers. This Christmas, adopt a Natural History object and help us look after the wildlife stories in our care. Adoptions support conservation, research and sharing these specimens with everyone: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/adoptanobject/

Time for our reveal! This morning’s #ThrowbackThursday photo showed the bottom of East Hill in Colchester, snapped back in 1973. Some of the businesses have changed, but the buildings have stood the test of time. It’s amazing how much (and how little) can change in 50 years!

We’re winding the clock back to 1973 for today’s #ThrowbackThursday! Hints include a hairdresser, a bakery, and some very 70s signage. Look closely - these buildings are still familiar today! Pop your guesses below, and we’ll reveal the scene as it looks now this afternoon 👀

Dragons don’t care for tinsel. They’re more interested in gold. According to legend, disturb a dragon’s treasure and you might ruin more than your holiday. This December, meet the dragon in Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

It’s the final Mini Museum Explorers of the year, and we’re heading north – all the way to the North Pole! Join us at the Natural History Museum on Tuesday 16 December for a chilly-but-cheerful session packed with story, sensory play, and festive fun.

Some objects are coy, but these ones wink. A Roman charm that really takes off, a medieval figure with nothing to hide, a pot that makes a race rather racy, and the Castle’s finest seat in the house, all after a loving adopter. From £10: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/adoptanobject

Tickets still available for An Evening with Father Christmas and Friends at Colchester Castle this month. Sat 20 Dec, doors 6:15pm, event 6:30–8:30pm. Games, quiz, craft, warm treat, and a gift for each paying child. £12 adult, £22.50 child. Book: buff.ly/rjBrCnB

Still looking for a little Christmas magic? Colchester Castle’s Starlight Grotto has tickets left. Step into a cosy, candlelit setting to meet Father Christmas, share your wishes and pick up a festive gift. Book now and make a memory: buff.ly/2aqmmQf

Own a little piece of Roman Britain, in spirit if not in your pocket. When you adopt one of our featured objects, you back the care and research that keeps history alive.

Welcome back! This morning’s Throwback Thursday photo was East Street in Colchester, looking west towards East Bridge. The scene has changed in some ways (no more tramlines or telegraph wires overhead) but many of the buildings remain. Just look at that shop on the right, still standing!

Throwback Thursday time! Can you guess where this photo was taken? This street once bustled with trams and horse-drawn carts, but you're far more likely to find cars these days. 📸 Come back this afternoon to see how it looks today!

White. Wild. Wonderfully wintry. Unicorns have long been linked with purity and stories that glimmer in the cold. See them in Mythical Creatures, on now at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

...all I'm saying is that the @colmuseums.bsky.social team clearly thought very carefully about which objects to offer for adoption.

As featured in my Good Gifts Guide (> madlinblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/17/g...) #GivingTuesday

Giving Tuesday feels like a good day to show a little love to Colchester’s stories. If something in our collections makes you smile, you can adopt it, or gift an adoption to someone who’d love it. Adopt: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/adoptanobject/

Signals, a Colchester creative digital learning charity, has released a new documentary from its three‑year “Peoples of Essex” project, tracing arrivals from early humans to today. Early on, our curator Ben Paites introduces Roman Colchester. Watch: youtu.be/Obb2wbC3bag?...

These remarkably modern looking jewelry pieces are proudly on display in the Castle. Not only can you see them, but we also have replicas of some of them in the gift shop!

Pencils poised, imaginations soaring. These young storytellers are discovering myths and writing their own in Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle. Your turn? #MythicalCreatures #ColchesterCastle #InteractiveLearning

We’ve worked with AccessAble to publish a Detailed Access Guide for Natural History Museum, Colchester. Plan your visit with clear info on facilities and routes: www.accessable.co.uk/essex/essex-...

It’s not every day you meet a pair of stockings with a back story. These fine cream silk stockings once belonged to Queen Victoria. Look closely and you’ll spot the crowned “VR” picked out in openwork, a leaf‑shaped clock running neatly to the toes, and the tiny numbers 8 and 12 on each leg.

Slip past the door and into the 1200s. Tucked behind the castle’s main entrance is the oldest known graffiti on site, likely carved by the jailer. What story would you pin to that mark? Plan a visit to see it in person: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/visit/colche...

Still haven’t booked for Mini Museum Explorers? Our next session is this Tuesday, and we’ll be exploring light and shadow in all sorts of fun ways: from shadow play and sensory games to a dark tent and hands-on activities about animals that come out by day or night.

New for teachers: a KS1/2 Mythical Creatures lesson pack, with plans, slides and printable worksheets inspired by our exhibition. Includes a KS2 worksheet snippet. Download: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/learn/teache...

Look at these explorers, eyes wide with wonder (and maybe a bit of mischief?). They’re discovering myths, fossils, and stories brought to life in Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle. Curiosity looks good - come try it yourself: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures