St. John's Abbey, Colchester

Name: St. John's Abbey
Address: Colchester, United Kingdom

#11 among attractions in Colchester

Monastery

Gallery (2)

Map

Map

Gallery

Facts and practical information

St John's Abbey, also called Colchester Abbey, was a Benedictine monastic institution in Colchester, Essex, founded in 1095. It was dissolved in 1539. Most of the abbey buildings were subsequently demolished to construct a large private house on the site, which was itself destroyed in fighting during the 1648 siege of Colchester. The only substantial remnant is the elaborate gatehouse, while the foundations of the abbey church were only rediscovered in 2010. ()

Established: 1096 (928 years ago)Coordinates: 51°53'8"N, 0°54'5"E

Address

Colchester United Kingdom

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Colchester

Day trips

St. John's Abbey – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Colchester Castle, Hollytrees Museum, Temple of Claudius, Colchester Town Hall.

~1900 ftN
Museum, Forts and castles, History museum
Colchester Castle, Colchester
10 min walk • Colchester Castle is a prominent historical fortress in the town of Colchester, England, and is an essential visit for anyone interested in Britain's rich past. Constructed on the foundations of a Roman temple, the castle dates back to the Norman Conquest of England...
~1810 ftN
Museum, Specialty museum, History museum
Hollytrees Museum, Colchester
9 min walk • Hollytrees Museum is a free to visit, publicly owned museum in the centre of Colchester and close to Colchester Castle. It is situated in an eighteenth-century house, which was used as a private residence until 1929, when it became a museum.
~1900 ftN
Temple
Temple of Claudius, Colchester
10 min walk • The Temple of Claudius or Temple of the Deified Claudius was a large octastyle temple built in Camulodunum, the modern Colchester in Essex. The main building was constructed between 49 and 60 CE, although additions were built throughout the Roman-era. Today it forms the base of the Norman Colchester Castle.
~1710 ftN
City hall
Colchester Town Hall, Colchester
9 min walk • Colchester Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Colchester, Essex, England. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Colchester Borough Council, is a Grade I listed building.
0.5 miNW
Town, Archaeological site
Camulodunum, Colchester
14 min walk • Camulodunum, the Ancient Roman name for what is now Colchester in Essex, was an important city in Roman Britain, and the first capital of the province.
~1640 ftNE
Museum, Art gallery, Shopping
Firstsite, Colchester
8 min walk • Firstsite is a visual arts organisation based in Colchester, Essex, which opened in 2011. It was the national Art Fund's Museum of the Year in 2021.
0.4 miNW
Tower
Jumbo Water Tower, Colchester
10 min walk • Jumbo Water Tower is a water tower at the Balkerne Gate in Colchester, Essex. The tower was nicknamed ’Jumbo’ after the London Zoo elephant as a term of derision in 1882 by Reverend John Irvine who was annoyed that the tower dwarfed his nearby rectory at St.
~1790 ftNE
Museum, Art gallery, Shopping
The Minories, Colchester
9 min walk • The Minories is a Grade II listed building and gardens situated at the east end of High Street in Colchester, Essex, England, near Hollytrees, Gate House and Colchester Castle. It currently houses The Minories Galleries which are run by Colchester School of Art, part of Colchester Institute.
0.4 miNW
Arch
Balkerne Gate, Colchester
11 min walk • Balkerne Gate is a Roman gateway in Colchester. It is the largest surviving gateway in Roman Britain and was built where the Roman road from Londinium intersected the town wall of Camulodunum. It is a Grade I listed building.
0.4 miNE
Church
St James the Great, Colchester
10 min walk • The Church of St James the Great is a Church of England parish church in Colchester, Essex. The church is a grade II* listed building.
0.9 miNE
Park
Bull Meadow, Colchester
22 min walk • Bull Neadow is a 1.4 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Colchester in Essex, owned and managed by Colchester Borough Council. The meadow is unimproved damp grassland on the bank of the River Colne, with plants such as purple loosestrife and amphibious bistort.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which popular attractions are close to St. John's Abbey?

Nearby attractions include Firstsite, Colchester (8 min walk), Colchester Art Society, Colchester (9 min walk), Colchester Town Hall, Colchester (9 min walk), The Minories, Colchester (9 min walk).

How to get to St. John's Abbey by public transport?

The nearest stations to St. John's Abbey:

Bus

Stanwell Street • Lines: 102, 103, 104, 105, 107, 133, 174, 175, 74, 74B, 76, 77, 77A, X76 (3 min walk)
Colchester (3 min walk)

Train

Colchester Town (5 min walk)
Colchester (29 min walk)