St Botolph's Priory Church, Colchester, Essex
The remains of St Botolph's Priory are located in the centre of the town at the southern gateway in the town wall. It was founded around 1100. It was the first Augustinian house to be established in Britain. The site consists of the standing remains of the priory church and the buried remains of the other monastic buildings. The church was built from stone imported from France, as well as reused Roman brick and tile. The façade would originally have been rendered in plaster although this has not survived. The priory was dissolved in 1536 by King Henry VIII and the buildings and land were granted to Sir Thomas Audley, the Lord Chancellor. The nave of the church remained in use as a parish church while the east end of the church and other buildings were probably dismantled for building stone. The church had fallen out of use by the Civil War when it suffered considerable damage during the siege of Colchester in 1648. The site was placed in state guardianship in 1912 and remains in the care of English Heritage (2012). Find out more.
