Colchester was mentioned by roman author Pliny (AD23 -79) and is thus the oldest recorded town of England. Though through excavation, its history is known to span from at least 1000 BC.

Originally a Celtic capital, it was conquered by Claudius's army in ad43 then becoming the first Roman capital - and Britain's first-ever city - until it was burned to the ground by the Iceni tribe led by Boudicca approximately two decades later.
They took the town by storm, looting, ransacking and torching the city. It is said that if you dig anywhere in Colchester today there is a thick layer of red soot from the time when Boudicca set the city on fire. If you ask nicely at the George Hotel, 116 High Street, they might let you have a look in their basement where a glass pane reveals a hole showing the distinctive burnt red clay.
Boudicca and her 100,000-strong army were soon defeated, but Colchester never returned to prominence in Roman Britain, becoming instead a settlement for ex-legionnaires.

Colchester then passed through the hands of the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. The Norman castle, founded by William the Conqueror himself, was once the twin sister of the Tower of London, built at the same time and almost identical in design. Whereas the Tower of London was greatly enlarged over time, unfortunately the Colchester castle was partially destroyed and almost abandoned - though it is still well worth a visit, as so is the museum situated within.

 The town also boasts Roman walls, Saxon and Norman churches, countless timber-framed houses, buildings still showing bullet-holes and scars from the Civil War, and also the oldest Victorian water tower in Britain.

Of course, Colchester is now very much an Essex town, with many bars and clubs providing a perfect opportunity to experience British nightlife at its most vulgar and debased. Drink, cheap sluts, and massive selection of drugs imported from Holland via the nearby east coast are all widely available for consumption.