Marking the Gates' bronze pavement plaques to mark town's historic sites

‘Marking the Gates’ will identify four Roman and two medieval town gates using bronze plaques set into the pavement.

It means visitors will, for the first time, be able to easily find the sites as they walk through the town.

The Roman gates are North Gate, Headgate, St Botolph’s Gate and East Gate while the medieval spots are Ryegate and St Mary’s Steps.

Previously, the Ryegate site was not marked at all.

As well as the plaques, a free trail leaflet has also been developed by Colchester and Ipswich Museums, which will plot points of interest around the Roman wall.

It will be available from the Visitor Information Centre and Colchester Castle Museum.

The project designers are Dallas-Pierce-Quintero, an award-winning art and architecture studio based in East London.

Previously, the firm has worked with Colchester Council on the Fixing the Link project, between North Station and the town centre.

Tim Young, Colchester councillor responsible for business and culture, said: “The Roman Wall is one of Colchester’s most famous landmarks and is part of what makes Colchester such a special place to live.

“This new project celebrates this heritage and ensures that residents and visitors can easily identify the sites of the town gates and learn more about their history.”

Project Designer, Jonathan Dallas, from Dallas-Pierce-Quintero, said: “We have enjoyed working closely with historians from Colchester and Ipswich Museums to highlight the rich heritage of Colchester.

“The interventions to the public landscape and the production of an illustrated walking tour will show the importance of Colchester throughout the different periods of history and we hope this will be enjoyed by visitors and locals for many years to come.”

The plaques will be installed in North Hill, at the junction with Middleborough, on either side of Head Street, in East Hill, Queen Street, Maidenburgh Street and at St Mary’s Steps, at the eastern end of Crouch Street.