Fun Facts

During the course of my research I’ve found some interest facts and stats about both Colchester and the University of Essex. I thought I’d share so you can get to know my new home for the next few months a bit better!

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• Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.
• It is said to be the oldest recorded town in Britain on the grounds that it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder, who died in AD 79!
• It was for a time the capital of Roman Britain and also claims to have the United Kingdom's oldest recorded market.
• Population: 104,390
• The highest temperature recorded in Colchester was 36.1 °C (97 °F) in August 2003 (during the 2003 European heat wave), and the lowest was −9.4 °C (15 °F) in December 2010.
• Colchester is reputed to be the home of three of the best known English nursery rhymes: 'Old King Cole', 'Humpty Dumpty' and 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'. However, the legitimacy of the claims for the first two of these is disputed.
• Colchester has also been suggested as one of the potential sites of Camelot, on account of having been the capital of Roman Britain and its ancient name of Camulodunum.
• Locals are called Colcestrians. A notable Colcestrian: Margaret Thatcher (1925– ) – former Prime Minister, lived in Colchester when working at nearby Manningtree as a research chemist during 1950s.

For more info on Colchester: Visit Colchester, Wikipedia, Colchester Guide.

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• Trent U and the University of Essex were established around the same time - Trent in 1964, while U of Essex was established in 1963 and received its Royal Charter in 1965.
• Colchester is the main campus, but there are also two other University of Essex campuses: Loughton and Southend.
• Student population: 14,765, more than 9,000 at Colchester campus.
• The University's motto, Thought the harder, heart the keener, is adapted from the Anglo-Saxon poem The Battle of Maldon.
• Students from more than 130 countries come to Colchester Campus to study making Essex one of the most culturally diverse campus universities in the UK.
• The campus was originally designed to be a university town with all facilities on one site. Within easy walking distance there are shops, banks, a gallery and a theatre, bars and cafés, and sports facilities.
• Two University of Essex graduates have won Nobel Prizes. In 2010 Chris Pissarides won the Nobel Prize for Economics and in 1987 Oscar Arias Sánchez won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end civil wars in Central America.
• Their newest lecture hall has space to hold up to 1,000 people, making it one of the biggest lecture halls in the country!
• Special collections in the library include papers, books and paintings from leading local, national and international figures including Sigmund Freud and crime novelist Margery Allingham. Unusual items in the collections include marzipan figures of former SDP leaders David Owen and Roy Jenkins.
• Essex’s 18-hole Frisbee golf course has hosted the World Ultimate Frisbee Championships.
• Famous bands who have played at the University include rock legends Pink Floyd, Iggy Pop and The Kinks, plus indie giants Blur.

For more info on the University of Essex: School Website, Wikipedia.