Venue Description

A visit to Colchester Castle is better than ever before with interactive displays and star exhibits, like the Colchester Gladiator Vase and Fenwick Hoard of Roman treasure. Have a go at building a Norman archway, dressing as an Iron Age Briton, steering a Roman chariot or firing our replica ballista at the east wall. Tours, led by expert guides, are offered daily and can take you down into the Roman vaults and up onto the Castle roof.

Accessibility

WHEN YOU ARRIVE You will be greeted by uniformed staff at our welcome desk, who will run through ticket options and give you a map of the museum. Alternatively, you can buy a Castle Day Ticket or a Colchester Museums Pass in advance via our website. The pass entitles you to unlimited entry for Colchester Castle and Hollytrees Museum for a whole year! You may have to wait a short while to be served. If you are accompanied by someone who finds queuing difficult, please let us know and we will do our best to prioritise you. If you would like to borrow one of our Sunflower lanyards while you’re in the museum, simply ask at the welcome desk. Disabled visitors qualify for a concession and may be accompanied by a companion free of charge. If you, or someone you care for has additional needs and it would be useful to come on a free, familiarisation visit first, please let us know. GETTING AROUND The entrance to the Castle is cobbled. Once you are inside the museum, the gallery floors are carpeted and flat. The Castle galleries are spread across two floors, with step free access. Two lifts are available, one glass lift in the centre of the museum and a second enclosed lift behind the wall on the right side of the building. The glass lift is a platform that rises inside a shaft. A safety feature means that if users touch the sides while it is moving, the lift will pause. We recommend starting at the replica Roundhouse on the first floor, which is at the top of the stairs and the exit to our glass lift. You can then journey through the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Some of our displays are spot lit, while other areas like the prisons might appear quite dark. Daily guided tours take visitors down into the vaults and up onto the roof via the Great Staircase. The nature of the building means these spaces are inaccessible for those with mobility impairments or unable to safely walk unaided. QUIETER TIMES The museum is typically quieter in the afternoons, particularly after 2.30pm on weekdays once school groups have left for the day. The Castle is a large open space and can get busy at weekends and during school holidays. Noise from other visitors and various interactives may be too much for anyone who is sensitive to sound. Our son et lumière projection is played several times throughout the day. It is a large animation that lasts approximately 10 minutes and fills the interior wall. Museum staff will make an announcement over the tannoy system before the start. We have an interactive ballista on the gallery that, when activated, projects large targets onto the castle wall and produces sounds. We are unable to provide a warning when a visitor activates the ballista projection, but each animation only lasts about 30 seconds. LUNCHROOM The ground floor lunchroom is available for visitors to use after 2.30pm on weekdays (once school groups have left) and at weekends. You can bring a picnic or find assorted light refreshments in our vending machine, including water. If you’re looking to buy something more substantial, visitors are welcome to head into Colchester city centre and then return to the Castle – simply show your ticket to the welcome desk to re-enter. If you have a refillable bottle, our team are happy to top it up with tap water. GENERAL INFORMATION Assistance dogs are welcome. We welcome breastfeeding. If you or a member of your group require a quiet space during your visit, please speak to our Visitor Services team. If you or a member of your group require medical attention whilst at the Castle, please alert our Visitor Services team and they will contact the emergency services. Colchester Castle has a defibrillator onsite.

Accessibility Guide

Accessibility Guide Link: https://colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/castleaccess/

Accessible Performances

On the first Sunday of the month we have our Calm At The Castle sessions, where noisy interactives are switched off and a dedicated sensory space is available. Dates can change, so we recommend visiting our website to check before visiting. We offer audio-described tours and object handling sessions, which we recommend booking in advance as we cannot guarantee trained staff will be available for on-the-day requests. To find out more, check our Audio-Described Events page. Castle tour guides can wear a portable hearing loop. For visitors who are unable to join a physical tour, we have a 360° virtual tour of Colchester Castle that covers the same spaces and is captioned. This can be explored via a large screen tablet available from the welcome desk.

Awards List

Awards: Bronze, Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award 2024, Visit England Awards for Excellence Gold, Creative, Cultural and Community Business of the Year 2024, Colchester Business Awards Shortlisted, Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award 2023, Visit England Awards for Excellence Shortlisted, Best Accessible Museum 2022, the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Awards We are signed up to: The Kids in Museums manifesto The Family Friendly Arts Standards

Toilets

The Castle has two accessible toilets. TOILET ONE The first toilet is located on the ground floor before the male and female facilities, and has a sliding door. The lateral transfer space is 80cm (from the side of the toilet pan to the wall). There is a lever flush on the transfer side. There is a horizontal grab rail on the non-transfer side, and a vertical grab rail and dropdown rail on the transfer side. The wash basin has a lever mixer tap. TOILET TWO The second toilet is located further along the corridor on the left and includes baby changing facilities. The lateral transfer space is 72cm (from the side of the toilet pan to the wall). There is a lever flush on the non-transfer side. There is a horizontal grab rail on the non-transfer side, and a vertical grab rail and dropdown rail on the transfer side. The wash basin has a lever mixer tap. CHANGING PLACES Colchester Castle does not have a Changing Places facility. The nearest can be found at the Castle Park cafe (0.2miles/ 4 minute walk), Colchester Library (0.2miles/ 5 minute walk) and at Leisure World (0.6miles/ 13 minute walk).

Staff

Staff have received basic training in areas such as autism awareness, BSL and audio description. Some staff have received Dementia Friend training, while others have received further training to become Sensory Champions and Access Champions.

Assistance dog facilities

Assistance dog exercise facilities

Colchester Castle is located within upper Castle Park. Assistance dogs are welcome, but non assistance dogs are not permitted in this part of the park.

Other assistance dog facilities

Colchester Castle has water available for assistance dogs.