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Ten and half things you never knew about Colchester

ChizzChizz
edited September 2009 in Other Football and Sports
1. Colchester is claimed to be the oldest town in Britain

2. Colchester Zoo is the first zoo in the UK to have successfully bred four aardvark babies; three of which have now become an active part of the breeding programme. (Note: this is not a cue for a song related to in-breeding).

4. A car travelling from Colchester at an average speed of 100 mph would take more than 29 million years to reach the nearest star.

5. Des Moines has the highest per-capita Jello consumption in the U.S. This is a fact which bears little relation to Colchester, other than to the eldest son of Nigel and Dorothy Moines of Colchester. Their son, Des is contacted several times a week from dessert manufacturers promoting their own brands of sweet, fruit-coloured Jello alternatives.

6. Colchester District Council banned the use of the number "three" in all communications relating to the Borough. This order was made on the 2nd March this year (known as 02/04/09).

Comments

  • BlackForestRedsBlackForestReds
    7. In 61 CE the town was ransacked by Boadicea, parts of it are still waiting to be rebuilt.
  • _MrDick_MrDick
    Evidently, it's difficult to find a parking space there
  • LargeAddickLargeAddick
    The first elephants in Britain walked through Colchester
  • 101101
    [cite]Posted By: LargeAddick[/cite]The first elephants in Britain walked through Colchester

    Really how did they make it to Colchester with out walking through other parts of Britain.
  • LenGloverLenGlover
    Colchester is the one town in GB where your father is not your brother and your sister is not your mother FACT:-)
  • colthe3rdcolthe3rd
    [cite]Posted By: Ru1986[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: LargeAddick[/cite]The first elephants in Britain walked through Colchester

    Really how did they make it to Colchester with out walking through other parts of Britain.
    Fail
  • BlackForestRedsBlackForestReds
    [cite]Posted By: Ru1986[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: LargeAddick[/cite]The first elephants in Britain walked through Colchester

    Really how did they make it to Colchester with out walking through other parts of Britain.

    Presumably they sailed up the River Colne. Colchester was the Roman capital of Britain, one of the reasons why they chose the place was because of the harbour built by the Anglo-Saxons to trade with the continent.
  • ChizzChizz
    [cite]Posted By: BlackForestReds[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Ru1986[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: LargeAddick[/cite]The first elephants in Britain walked through Colchester

    Really how did they make it to Colchester with out walking through other parts of Britain.

    Presumably they sailed up the River Colne. Colchester was the Roman capital of Britain, one of the reasons why they chose the place was because of the harbour built by the Anglo-Saxons to trade with the continent.
    Hence the Anglo Saxon road signs which stated
    "Colchester for the Continent
    Felixstowe for the Incontinent"
  • BlackForestRedsBlackForestReds
    In 1645 Matthew Hopkins, a witchfinder, used the Castle to imprison and question suspected witches.
  • Oggy RedOggy Red
    My cousin lives in Mersea, near Colchester.

    Not a lot of you knew that.
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  • SwisdomSwisdom
    Colchester successfully bred the worlds first Zeedonk ( zebra / donkey) and still have a few. Incidentally Zeedonks are born unable to breed

    (I am a platinum family member at Colchester zoo)
  • Oggy RedOggy Red
    UFO's have been seen flying frequently over Colchester. FACT!
  • kigeliakigelia
    The citizens of Colchester are responsible for exactly 0.0018% of global carbon emissions.
  • paulbaconsarniepaulbaconsarnie
    colchester united netball team were banned from all competitions within minutes of their first ever match, after the crowd adapted charlton's legendary CAFC chant.
  • kigeliakigelia
    [cite]Posted By: Swisdom[/cite]Colchester successfully bred the worlds first Zeedonk ( zebra / donkey) and still have a few. Incidentally Zeedonks are born unable to breed

    (I am a platinum family member at Colchester zoo)

    In commemoration of this event Playtex brought out the black and white striped 'Donkbra'
  • StigStig
    edited September 2009
    The only thing I knew was that Margaret Thatcher used to live there. So here's a few provided by a Colchester supporting friend of mine:

    Colchester was the Roman capital of England – Camulodunum

    The nursery rhyme ‘Humpty Dumpty’ originates from a large Royalist cannon that sat on the top of St. Mary’s at the Wall Church in Colchester, and was shot down (smashing to pieces) by the Parliamentarians during the Siege of Colchester in the English Civil War.

    The author of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ lived in Colchester

    Colchester railway station platform was once the longest in Europe

    ¾ of Blur originate from Colchester

    Colchester United fans have evolved over the decades ahead of other more Neolithic Anglian tribes: http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7223/familytrees.jpg


    Colchester oysters are renowned by experts around the World

    St. Helena is the patron saint of Colchester – and is reputed to have brought back the real cross from Jerusalem. This is why there is a cross on their coat of arms.
  • Oggy RedOggy Red
    Colin Chester used to live there.


    You've heard of Col Chester, haven't you ....?
  • thewolfboythewolfboy
    The Romans called Colchester 'Camulodunum.' This was after a Geordie shyster who was caught trying to sell camel dung as a health product (one of those face masks to draw out the impurities of the skin.) After complaints from his Missus, the Roman governor summoned the Geordie entreprenier to him and demanded to know what was in the foul smelling face mask. The Geordie shrugged his shoulders and muttered, "it's camel dung man." Thus the little town gained it's unusual name.
  • March51March51
    The Colchester tramway system closed in 1929. The trams were not destroyed as in London, but disposed of locally and used as sheds and stables: one or two survive to this day. Also, the original Station Hotel was a commercial disaster and was converted to a lunatic asylum (I've been in a few pubs like that!).
  • IdleHansIdleHans
    There was once a story in Colchester's local paper, East Anglian Daily Times, which read "Thieves broke into Weeley Crematorium and made off with a microwave oven".

    (Weeley being on the road between Colchester and Clacton on Sea)
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  • StigStig
    [cite]Posted By: IdleHans[/cite]There was once a story in Colchester's local paper, East Anglian Daily Times, which read "Thieves broke into Weeley Crematorium and made off with a microwave oven".

    (Weeley being on the road between Colchester and Clacton on Sea)

    Fantastic, I've got this image of ding-cremations now.
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