Colchester has more history than any other place in Essex.

And in terms of distance back in time I believe we can go further than London and York with remains at Lexden and Stanway of the Trinovante tribe’s defensive earthworks pre-dating the Roman invasion in AD43.

Much of the town’s rich heritage is visible on a daily basis.

The castle is the most visited destination with exhibits dating back nearly 2,000 years to when Colchester was both Britain’s first city and the first capital of Roman Britain.

The nearby Holly Trees social history museum and All Saints’ natural history museum are also popular with residents and tourists.

But not every historic building can be visited so the annual Heritage Open Days, organised by Colchester Museums, are a great attraction for those who value our town’s unique history portfolio.

This year, from an impressive list of 25 places to visit, I decided to concentrate on two historic buildings which are not normally open to the public.

I also attended a lecture on a third building from Colchester’s past, but which was destroyed centuries ago.

Most of the Heritage Open Day venues were over the weekend, but there were two last Thursday and three on Friday. My first event was on Friday, at the Catholic Church of St James the Less and St Helen in Priory Street where Philip Wise from Colchester Museums gave a fascinating talk on the history of St John’s Abbey.

A group of Year 6 pupils from the nearby St Thomas More Primary School also attended and doubled the audience.

All that remains of the Abbey today is the impressive gatehouse at St John’s Green which is clearly visible from Southway.

I did not know that the now demolished abbey was built on the site of a Saxon church, nor that the abbey was founded by Eudo Dapifer who was the Norman baron responsible for building Colchester Castle in the 1080s.

The abbey was finished in 1115 - 55 years before Canterbury Cathedral.

No pictures exist, but excavations show it was 90 yards long and dominated the skyline possibly with a central tower.

The abbey was demolished following the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-1541) by Henry VIII. The gatehouse, which had been built around 1400, survived.

My next visit was on an interesting guided tour of the offices of Sparling solicitors in West Stockwell Street, the timber-framed Medieval building in the shadow of the town hall clock tower.

For one day only, there were seven tours. It was fascinating to see so much exposed timber frame throughout the building.

We were told that 100 years ago the timber-exposed front was covered with rendering, and that the building which is now such an attraction for visitors taking photographs is only half of what was built in the late 15th century as a cloth merchant’s house comprising living and business areas.

This was well before Flemish refugees, renowned for their cloth making, settled in what later became known as the Dutch Quarter.

The other half of the building – which is also part of Sparling’s offices – has a later frontage.

We were told about the building’s history over the centuries, and how it was restored to give a Tudor appearance after the First World War by Colchester architect Duncan Clark with the firm of solicitors moving there in 1920.

However, the building we see today is not how it looked when first built.

I also visited Peake’s House in East Stockwell Street which is slightly older than the building in West Stockwell Street.

There were originally three houses, the oldest (demolished in 1935) dated from the late 14th century with the others from the 15th century.

When I visited I was advised that the then Colchester Civic Society stepped in and had the remainder of the property restored, as one building.

In 1946 Mr W Peake, who had a business nearby, generously gifted the building to Colchester Borough Council. This resulted in the change of name from The Old House to Peake’s House.

From 1957, for more than 30 years, it was the headquarters of the Colchester branch of the Red Cross, which I can remember visiting.

In 1995 it was leased to the Landmark Trust, a national building preservation charity, and is available to rent by visitors throughout the year – other than for the annual Heritage weekend.

I hope to visit more locations during next year’s Heritage Open Days.

I can recommend them as a wonderful way to learn more about the unique history of our town.

SIR BOB RUSSELL