The UK city less than two hours from London that’s ‘England’s oldest’

A picturesque city in eastern England purports to be the oldest in the country – with a history dating all the way back to the Iron Age.

Colchester, the second-largest urban area in Essex, has a lot to boast about when it comes to its cultural background.

Formerly known as Camulodunum under Roman rule, when it functioned as the capital of Britain, the city can claim to be the oldest in England.

It began life as the base of a Celtic tribe called the Trinovantes, when the breadth of the now populous and thriving metropolis was a cluster of settlements and farmland averaging 12 square miles.

The built-up area began to take further form after the Roman invasion of 43 AD, when troops built a fort on high ground at the site that was later settled in by retired soldiers and civilians.

You wouldn’t know it to look at Colchester’s bustling High Street today, but it was also under siege from Queen Boudicca in 61 AD – with her rebels burning wooden huts around the town before the uprising was crushed and Romans reinstated order, alongside a high wall protecting it from future attacks.

The first official records of the town date to 77 AD, and it can also boast having one of Britain’s earliest known churches, alongside early classic theatres and pottery, glass and blacksmith trades.

Remnants of its original Roman circus are still standing on the outskirts of modern-day Colchester, giving visitors the chance to wander around the site where chariot races were hosted before thousands of spectators hundreds of years ago.

And the historic city is as ripe for discovery in its modern-day format as it was in Roman Britain – with a wide range of first-class attractions, places to eat and drink and a booming retail scene.

Tourist highlights include Colchester Castle Museum, offering an insight into the largest Norman Keep in Europe, packed with archeological artefacts chronicling 2,500 years of local history, and Colchester Zoo, which spans 60 acres of parkland.

The zoo is home to 155 different species, including endangered Amur leopards and Bornean orangutans – and was voted the number one outdoor activity in Essex by users on TripAdvisor.

Recent reviews describe it as a “brilliant” day out with “good value for money” and “helpful and friendly staff”.

It’s also the perfect spot for an out-of-city day trip, just an hour and a half away from London by train and accessible via car on the A12.