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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 21h

Have your say on Wild About Essex, the redevelopment of Colchester’s Natural History Museum. Your views will shape exhibitions, events and access.

Share your thoughts: buff.ly/uS4spfx

#WildAboutEssex #Colchester #NaturalHistoryMuseum #HaveYourSay

A long glass display of fossils and geological specimens runs through a church-like gallery with stone columns and a high timber roof. Labels read eras such as Pleistocene and Eocene; warm lighting leads towards a family activity space at the far end.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 1d

Romans used glass for crockery, hairpins, windows, and more. Glassblowing made production fast and cheap, and constant recycling is why Roman glass can feel rare today. What draws your eye here - colour or creativity?

See more in our Online Collections: cim-web.adlibhosting.com/ais6/Details...

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 1d

Complete jugs with attached medallions are uncommon, so fragments help us read Roman taste and technique. Colchester holds one of Britain’s best Roman glass collections, rich in first-century finds linked to Boudica’s rebellion.

Fragment of a Roman jug handle in deep cobalt blue glass, photographed on a white background. A moulded face medallion sits at the base where the pulled handle begins; two raised ridges run up the handle and the edges are broken.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 1d

A Roman jug handle in deep blue glass with a stamped face medallion. A small disc of hot glass was pressed into a mould, then applied to the vessel before the handle was shaped. Many faces are generic. This one is probably Bacchus or Silenus rather than Medusa.

Cobalt blue Roman glass fragment from a jug handle, the base decorated with a small moulded face medallion, probably Bacchus or Silenus. The thick pulled handle rises from the medallion and spreads into two wing-like flares where it would have joined the vessel wall. Surface shows bubbles and wear; object is propped on a clear mount against a bright background.

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Reposted by Colchester Museums

Dr Alan Montgomery @classicalalan.bsky.social · 9d

A fragment of 2nd-century Roman mosaic from an ancient town house in Colchester for #MosaicMonday. It is now on display in Colchester Castle Museum @colmuseums.bsky.social

A fragment of Roman mosaic made from white, black and terracotta tiles featuring guilloche and flower motifs.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 2d

Suppose it was still nicer to hear over static!

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 2d

It's gutting how rare the glass is to find!

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 2d

Spot on!

Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 2d

Dragonstone, a mix of epidote and piemontite, was once believed to carry dragon’s blood and protect warriors in battle.

Fancy a kiss of dragon magic? Visit Mythical Creatures at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 3d

Glass seems rare because so much of it was recycled. This example is on display at Colchester Castle. Plan a visit: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/visit/colche...

Visit Colchester Castle | Colchester Museums

Discover the largest Norman Keep in Europe. With interactive displays, star exhibits and the surrounding park, this museum has something for everyone.

colchester.cimuseums.org.uk

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 3d

Roman glass wasn’t just tableware. Makers turned out bottles and bowls, bath flasks, hairpins, gaming counters and windowpanes. Imports came first, then production in Britain from the later first century as glassblowing spread.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 3d

Pale green Roman diota, form B16. Twin handles, slim neck, rounded body. More showpiece than pourer, these late Roman flasks were likely made for display.

Full‑length studio photograph of a pale green Roman glass diota with globular body, two looped handles at the shoulders, a narrow neck with applied collars and a small foot; light background.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 4d

Look closely at the hem and you can spot a later alteration where it was raised. It hints at a second life, passed on, adjusted, worn again, a reminder that most wardrobes were thrifty and social lives were busy.

Learn more: cim-web.adlibhosting.com/ais6/Details...

Upper side‑bodice detail with contrasting black and clear beadwork in repeating horizontal lines; slight puckering from the gathered drop‑waist construction can be seen.

Shoulder and armhole detail with dense beading in geometric bands; some net repairs and fraying at the edge are visible, showing the dress’s age and use.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 4d

Thousands of tiny black and clear beads caught the glow of electric light while a straight, drop-waisted cut made the foxtrot and Charleston easier than in earlier corseted styles.

Detail of the lower bodice showing rows of small square beads forming loops and diamond patterns on translucent chiffon; the texture of the beads and the softness of the fabric are clearly visible.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 4d

Colchester’s nights out were changing in the 1920s. Dance halls, assembly rooms and the new cinemas drew mixed crowds, and young people went out without a chaperone. This beaded chiffon dress belonged to that world.

Full-length view of a 1920s sleeveless dress in pale yellow silk crepe chiffon. The straight, drop‑waist silhouette is covered with horizontal bands of black and clear glass beadwork, including Greek‑key and Egyptian‑influenced motifs. Areas of wear and past shortening are visible along the hem.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 5d

The Wartime Civilian Receiver, or “Utility Set”, kept Britain listening in WWII. One waveband (MW), two knobs, plain pine case. Designed by Dr G. D. Reynolds (Murphy) and built by various firms with minimal materials when parts were scarce. What would you have tuned in to?

Three-quarter view of a radio highlighting the simple pine case with minor scuffs and the front controls.

Front view of a wooden radio showing a large fabric speaker grille, a small curved tuning dial, and two round control knobs.

Rear view of a wooden radio with a black ventilated back panel and a large brown instruction label; mains plug socket and fittings visible at the bottom edge.

Close-up of a rear instruction label on a radio describing controls and safety notes for the A.C. Model Wartime Civilian Receiver.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 6d

Colchester’s boot and shoe army on Stanwell Street. Workers line up outside Kavanagh’s Boot & Shoe Factory in 1889. Footwear making sat alongside ironfounding and clothing as key local industries in town.

Know anything about Kavanagh’s or the people pictured? Share a name, a story, a trade.

Black‑and‑white photograph of a tall multi‑storey factory building on Stanwell Street with a large group of workers, many in aprons, assembled in the yard for a formal portrait; clock and name board on the gable, chimney to the rear.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 7d

Narwhal tusks were unicorn horns to medieval Europe, and gave rise to well-travelled tales. Pliny’s unicorn? Might just be a rhino in a fancy cloak.

Discover more at Mythical Creatures, on now at Colchester Castle: colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/mythical-creatures

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 8d

Worn in a parlour or assembly room, it would have helped its wearer take up space, both physically and socially, leaving a lasting impression long after the gathering ended.

Learn more about this dress and others in our Online Collections: cim-web.adlibhosting.com/ais6/Details...

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 8d

A dress like this signalled wealth and status before a word was spoken. The costly silk had travelled through trade networks before being cut and sewn into shape. Practical touches, such as a drawstring neckline and hooks at the waist, were hidden beneath the grandeur.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 8d

In the 1830s, fashion could be as much about presence as practicality. This cream moiré silk gown, with its dramatic puffed sleeves, fitted waistband and bows at the hem, was made to be noticed. The silhouette, wide at the shoulders, narrow at the waist, matched the height of style.

Front view of cream moiré silk 1830s dress with wide shallow neckline, long full sleeves, fitted waistband, and gored skirt adorned with three-dimensional padded bows above hem.

Rear view of cream moiré silk 1830s dress with wide neckline fastening by hooks and eyes, fitted waist, and full skirt decorated with large padded bows and rouleau hem near the floor.

Side view of cream moiré silk 1830s dress on mannequin, showing large puffed sleeve narrowing to wrist, shoulder decorated with layered petal shapes, and softly gathered bodice above a fitted waistband.

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 9d

Whoops, use this link: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

Microsoft Forms

forms.office.com

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 9d

Colchester’s Natural History Museum is getting a refresh to make the space more welcoming, inclusive and relevant to everyone.

What should we prioritise? Tell us in a quick survey: buff.ly/uz27t7w

#Colchester #NaturalHistoryMuseum #WildAboutEssex #HaveYourSay #ColchesterMuseums

A flint-faced former church on a sunny day, now the Natural History Museum, with a square tower, arched windows and trees along the pavement. A lion statue on a plinth stands to the right across the road under a bright blue sky. Overlaid text reads: "Wild About Essex: Have Your Say!"

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 10d

Records place his parents, Albert and Amelia, at 42 Berechurch Road; it seems he died in the 1970s, in his 50s. If you knew Walter, or your family did, we’d value your memories.

Colchester: Then & Now, shaped by local stories and artefacts, is open until 25 October: buff.ly/3nusavY

Colchester Then & Now: VJ Day 80 | Colchester Museums

Voices of wartime Colchester: hear local memories and see archive photos in this VE Day 80 display at Colchester Castle. 29 March–3 August 2025.

colchester.cimuseums.org.uk

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Colchester Museums @colmuseums.bsky.social · 10d

One photograph, kindly loaned by Imperial War Museums, brings that history close to home: liberated POWs on the hospital ship Oxfordshire. Second from the left is W. Nunn of Colchester, believed to be Sergeant Walter Reginald Nunn, Royal Engineers.

Group of seven smiling men on a ship’s deck giving thumbs‑up around a life ring labelled “OXFORDSHIRE LIVERPOOL”; several are shirtless and a few use crutches, suggesting they are injured or amputees. Bright daylight, ropes and chains of the ship visible in the background.

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