St John's Abbey Gate

St John's Abbey Gate is the only building left standing of the wealthy Benedictine abbey of St John the Baptist, founded outside Colchester's town walls in 1095 by Eudo Dapifer, William the Conqueror's High Steward and Constable of Colchester Castle. The gatehouse was added around 1400 to strengthen the abbey's defences, perhaps after the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. Its north front is richly dressed in East Anglian flint flushwork, with pinnacled turrets and statue niches, and the arches have ribbed vaulting on corbels carved with human heads and lions. St John's held out against Henry VIII's commissioners until its abbot was executed for treason. The Lucas family later made the site their seat, and in the 1648 siege of Colchester Parliamentarian troops stormed the gatehouse. Managed by Colchester City Council, it is viewed from outside; the interior opens only occasionally. Reviewers admire the flintwork and feel it is overlooked. Tip: there is no parking on site.