The River Colne is a small river that runs through Essex, England and passes through Colchester. It is not a tributary of any other river, instead having an estuary that joins the sea near Brightlingsea. The river's name is of Celtic origin, combining the word for rock "cal" with a remnant of the word "afon", or river, giving the meaning "stony river". However, another authority states that the river's name was originally Colonia Fluvius, the "waterway of the Colonia": a reference to Colchester's status in Roman times. There are two other rivers in the UK that share the same name.
The River Colne in Colchester, looking south
Middlemill weir, in the centre of Colchester
Colne Dredger, one of the last remaining steam dredgers in the UK, at work.
Image: Wivenhoe Trail 2023
Essex is a ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the south, Greater London to the south-west, and Hertfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is Southend-on-Sea, and the county town is Chelmsford.
St Peters Chapel, Bradwell. Established by St Cedd, the patron saint of Essex around 662, built on the site of the abandonded Roman fort of Othona
Hedingham Castle, The Norman keep from the other side of the English landscape garden
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colchester claims to be Britain's first city.
Queen Elizabeth II Bridge spanning the Thames from West Thurrock, Essex, to Dartford, Kent
