Colchester’s Roman circus is the only known Roman chariot racing track found in the UK, and this reflects Colchester’s status as the Roman capital of Britain. In Roman times, chariot racing was an incredibly popular sport, much like football is today. Colchester has a wealth of Roman architecture most of which is simply dotted around the town, with no cohesive, dedicated information or interpretation.
Currently the area of land where the circus has been discovered is owned by a large property developer, who has agreed to sell the vandalised Victorian building and a portion of land which houses the starting gates for the arena, back to the campaign group. We wish to buy the land and the building, creating a visitor centre, to provide a focal point and a starting point for a Roman history trail around the town. This would mean that this unique piece of Roman Britain could be preserved for ever, and be enjoyed by Colchester residents and visitors alike for many years to come.
The developers have agreed to sell the site to the group for £750,000 and have given us a deadline of January 31 2010. We have managed to raise £500,000, so we need to raise £250,000 to finance our project. Will you help us?
You can see a BBC Look East report on the putting up for sale of the Sergeants’ Mess from August 2009. It gives an overview of the significance of the grounds and their importance to the Roman Circus:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8200152.stm
What are the local Council doing about it?
The local council, are already overspent providing essential services. They have also lost considerable amounts of money in the Icelandic bank collapse. The sad fact is that there just isn’t the money. They are, however, trying to “swap” small parcels of land which is over the wider area of the circus. Sadly Colchester has never really looked after it’s heritage, and there has always been a sense that it’s just “there”. We are hoping that this campaign will change how the whole of Colchester thinks about it’s past and it’s future.
Colchester Borough Council did apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £950,000 to create a visitor centre for the Circus in 2008, but the application was unsuccessful.
http://adrianmurdoch.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/colchester-to-preserve-roman-circus.html
In this weeks paper however they are announcing a huge resotration of the moot hall – I see very little need in repainting a build that is under no immediate threat, whilat standing by and watching our heritage be bulldozed by greedy and unscrupulous builders. There was no shortage of cash for the new football stadium, and just how much good does that really do the town? all it really does is line the pockets of already wealthy and unpleaseant footballers and their management.
I am quite sick of the excuses of the council that they have no money to help.Maybe if they had dealt with the situation better in the first place we wouldn’t now be in a desperate scramble for money to preserve what could have been a huge centre for tourism and education, all of which would have brought revenue into the town, how very short sighted of the council !
Congratualtions to everyone who has tried so hard to keep our circus, those who have volunteered to raise money and given their time for no other reason than to help hold onto our history deserve a medal. Those who have given money can rest safe in the knowledge that they did their best to help. Those who have jumped the bandwagon for their own sefish need to be a hero or publicise their own businesses and future events should be sent away with a flee in their ears.
I do have one small question – if the attempt to purchase the land is unsuccessful, what happens to the money that has been donated – can I be assured that it will go to a good cause and that it is made very public as to the end result. I only ask as suspicions have been raised by others with regard to certain people now involved in the appreal.
Don’t worry. If the appeal does not succeed then donors can certainly receive their money back. Several donors have made that request. Others however have said they are happy for it to be used by the Colchester Archaeological Trust as it sees fit. If you do make a donation, just add a covering note, and the Trust will keep records.
Whatever comments you may have had, I can assure you that all the money is paid directly to the Colchester Archaeological Trust, a registered charity. Cheques are payable to them, and the online donations via this site are paid directly to their bank account.
As a registered charity, CAT is required by law to publish its annual accounts. Indeed, in the margin of every page on this appeal website is a link to CAT’s entry on the Charity Commission Register where you can see their latest annual accounts.
I am really disappointed that the Heritage Lottery Fund refused an application to save the Roman Circus. It is not only of importance to Colchester but to the wider community all over the world. How narrow minded. When I think of the millions that are sitting within the unfinished walls of that ghastly art centre thing that is overshadowing the town centre, it makes me seethe.
I am an art and history lover but the mess that has been made of these two projects that could, if they had been planned and coordinated properly, have complemented each other and us, is beyond belief.
I am reminded of the way we carved up a lot of our history with the, so called, ‘improvements’ that were made to the town in the late 1960′s and early 1970′S, when so many traditional buildings and sites were torn down. We have a chance here to make some reparation for our past mistakes. I hope there is time and inclination from the general public to open their purses and give the remaining few pounds each that would secure the Circus gates.
If all the households in the Borough were to pledge £20 then we would be home and dry!