A LISTENING bench next to Colchester Castle has had more than 35,000 visitors since it was installed six years ago.
The impressive number of listeners makes it the most listened to history bench in Essex.
As the bench can seat up to four people, the actual number of listeners will likely be higher than the 35,000 figure.
The figure was reported to the annual general meeting of Colchester Recalled Oral History Society.
In their joint report, Colchester historians Andrew Phillips and Patrick Denney said the society’s website had received 2,209 visits across 60 countries this year, with the United States at the top.
The United Kingdom came in second place, followed by the Russian Federation, Turkey and Italy.
Colchester Recalled Oral History Society was formed in 1988, documenting more than 3,500 hours of recordings of live events and interviews.
The society has also recorded 1,700 residents recalling their lives and special events, going back as far as Queen Victoria’s funeral.
The recordings, originally on old cassettes, have all been digitised, archived and indexed at the University of Essex.
The society hopes to make them available to the wider public during the forthcoming year.
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