COLCHESTER - ENGLAND

COLCHESTER

Colchester is a town in the south east of England.  It lies on the river Colne in the county of Essex and has approximately 190,000 inhabitants. The journey by train to London takes approximately 50 minutes; therefore it is
a very popular commutor town. Colchester is England´s oldest recorded town, which was the original capital in Roman times. There are plenty of things to see and do when visiting Colchester. There is an Anglo Saxon castle in the town centre and a large selection of shops and restaurants. Around the castle is a large park with old trees, lots of flower beds and a small pond. The park is comprised of two parts; one for walking and the other for a children’s play area. It is a favorite playground for them in the town. Children can swing, slide and jump there and play in a small wooden castle and a ship.

Colchester has a Zoo. It is smaller than in Prague but with many animals, a big aquarium with houses of sea lions. The Zoo is very popular with locals and those travelling to Colchester. It has been awarded as one of the best Zoos in England.  Local families can buy a membership card which entitles them to multiple visits at a discounted price.  Therefore it is a vey popular destination for local families.

Around Colchester there are many farms open to the public where families and their children can discover and learn about nature and how to feed the animals that live there.

My granddaughter is five years old and attends a private school. Her school building is very old and was built in a traditional Victorian architectural style. When I go with little Sophie to school in the morning I like to look around the streets of Colchester which is joyful and colourful due to all the different schools‘ uniforms. It’s very different from the Czech schools as each English shool has its own school uniform. Sophie’s school is attended by children of many different nationalities because Great Britain is a very multicultural country. State schools are free for locals, but it is also common for families to pay to send their children to private schools which generally hold smaller class sizes.

I very often visit this town and country because my daughter got married in England and due to her English husband she found a new home there.

Written by Jarmila Rutnerová, Intermediate Level, Nov. 2019