The Minories - Treasures from the Archives
74 High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1UE
The building now known as the Minories was acquired in 1731 by Isaac Boggis with wealth from the cloth trade. The Tudor mansion was remodelled as an elegant Georgian residence for his son, Thomas Boggis, in 1776.
It started to be called 'The Minories' in the 1870s, when it became fashionable to give buildings names. From 1884 to 1902 the house was leased by Charles Becker, father of the artist Harry Becker who was raised in the Minories. In 1915 Geoffrey Bensusan-Butt and his wife, Ruth, took the lease, and in 1923 they purchased the property from the Boggis-Rolfe family. Ruth was sister-in-law to Lucien Pissarro, son of Camille, and the Pissarro family visited regularly. She was a GP, a founder member of the Socialist Medical Association and for 35 years a Borough Councillor and Alderman. After her retirement she sold the Minories to the Victor Batte-Lay Trust (now the Foundation) in 1956. Since then, the building has been run as an art gallery.
It has a lovely garden which includes a mid-18th-century summer house or folly and a sculpture entitled 'Verwondering' (Astonishment) by Jac van Someren which commemorates the Battle of Arnhem in 1944 in which British airborne forces played a key role.
Timings & Tours
- Sunday 08 September:
- 1000-1600
Location & directions
74 High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1UE
- Contact on day:
- Reception
- Telephone number:
- +441206712437
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
First floor only accessible by a staircase.
Additional information
Other buildings open nearby for Heritage Open Days on the same date are Greyfriars, St James the Great Church, Roman Theatre and St John's Abbey Gatehouse.
