COLCHESTER Castle has been named as the county's best museum in the Essex Mums online awards.

Mums especially praised the museum's educational and interactive displays as well as exhibits such as the Colchester Vase and Fenwick Treasure.

Tim Young, Colchester Council culture boss, said: "The Essex Mums ‘Best Museum’ award is a fantastic accolade for the Castle, proving the family-friendly appeal of this veritable treasure trove of Colchester’s history.

"I hope this will encourage more families to take a trip back in time and visit Colchester Castle, plus the other fascinating heritage sites in our town."

Louise Ford, founder of Essex Mums, added: “The awards have been running for a few years now and have been a great way of supporting the amazing jobs so many people do.

"It has been an honour to give them all a little extra recognition, help them spread the word that bit further and provide parents with a list of new things to try."