Back in the Spring, the daffodils were all out on the ramparts of Colchester Castle. You can also see the summer house built by local MP Charles Gray in the 18th century. So why did he build it and why in this particular spot?
He lived in nearby Hollytrees House which is now the Colchester Visitor Information Centre and was given the Castle and all its land by his mother-in-law as a wedding present!
So the Castle and its grounds became part of his already very large garden and it was the fashion in the 18th century to go for walks in your garden and show it off to guests. Part of the walk was to experience "views" which were scenes of interest in the garden. To create this, he built a Summer House at one end of the ramparts.
The Castle was built by the Normans, but 95% of it is built from materials taken from the ruined Roman town so Gray reflected this in his Summer House and built it in the style of a Roman Temple.
