Jumbo Water Tower, Colchester, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Jumbo Water Tower, officially the Balkerne Water Tower, is a Victorian landmark in Colchester, Essex, built in the early 1880s from about 1.2 million bricks. It rises beside Balkerne Gate, the largest surviving Roman gateway in Britain, so two thousand years of the town's history stand side by side. Its nickname comes from a famous elephant at London Zoo.

The story behind it

The tower was built to supply Colchester with water. It is hard to miss on the skyline, and it loomed over the neighbouring rectory of St Mary-at-the-Walls. The story goes that the local rector disliked it and mocked it as "Jumbo", after the huge elephant at London Zoo. The joke backfired, because the town adopted the name with affection and it has stuck ever since.

The ground beneath it is far older. Balkerne Gate was the main western entrance to Roman Colchester, which was one of the first Roman towns in Britain. Around AD 60 the town was attacked and burned during Boudicca's revolt, and the defences here were strengthened when it was rebuilt. Next door, the Mercury Theatre opened in 1972 and takes its name from a small Roman bronze figure of Mercury found near the town, now kept at Colchester Castle Museum.

What to look for

• Look at the sheer mass of red brickwork in the tower, and picture the 1.2 million bricks that went into it.
• Find the remains of the Roman gate beside the tower, and notice how much older its stonework is than the Victorian walls above it.
• Follow the line of the surviving Roman town wall nearby, which shows how the defended town was laid out.
• Check the Mercury Theatre next door for its statue of Mercury, the messenger god the theatre is named after.

Tips for your visit

• You can see the tower from the street at any time, and 20 to 30 minutes is enough to take in the tower, the Roman gate and the wall.
• Interior access is limited, so check current opening hours and any open days before planning to go inside.
• Late afternoon light brings out the colour of the brick, and the walk is quieter earlier in the day.
• The Roman wall, the Mercury Theatre and the town centre are all a short walk away, so it fits easily into a longer stroll.

See it on a quest

Exodus Hinge & Colchester’s Lost Centurion: Roman Britain Walking Tour & Escape Game suits this spot well, because the tower stands right beside Colchester's Roman gate. You reach it on foot as one stop on a longer route through the Roman part of town, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Colchester is a good choice if you prefer a mystery to a history lesson. You walk between the stops, the app tells you about each place as you reach it, and you work out a puzzle in front of what you see. One ticket covers the whole group.