Colchester's Roman Circus 2004-2024
Roman Circus Visitor Centre, Roman Circus Walk, Colchester, Essex, CO2 7GZ
With it being 20 years since Colchester Archaeological Trust’s main excavation of the Roman Circus site, this year is a particularly important one in our history. We might not have known it previously, but by 2004, we knew that we had unearthed Britain’s only known Roman Circus. It was used between roughly the 2nd century and late 3rd century CE for chariot racing, amongst other spectator sports.
Other circuses have been discovered around the world, such as the Circus Maximus in Rome. They are recognisable by their unique shape which allows for features including the race track, central barrier (known as the spina), and tiered seating (known as a cavea). These large open-air venues were important for events that drew huge crowds in the Roman period.
The excavations of Colchester’s Roman Circus revealed the wall foundations and foundation cut of the Circus, but unfortunately, there were no upstanding walls remaining. In fact, most of the stone was robbed during the medieval period. However, the foundations were enough to understand that it was 450m in length with a race track about 2.5 miles long (if you raced round it 7 times!), and had a capacity of 8,000-16,000 people.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 14 September:
- 1000-1600: Tours on the hour, last tour 1500.
Location & directions
Roman Circus Visitor Centre, Roman Circus Walk, Colchester, Essex, CO2 7GZ
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
Archaeological site - uneven ground.
Additional information
- Max no of people per tour:
- 20
- Est. tour duration:
- 0 hour(s) 45 minute(s)
