The Siege House, Colchester
Set in the heart of the historic town of Colchester is the famous 15th Century Old Siege House Bar and Brasserie.
The Siege House offers modern European Cuisine, with an English influence.
The building is noticeably riddled with musket ball holes.
The musket ball holes stand testament to a fierce firefight towards the end of the Civil War.
The Siege took place during the reign of Charles 1 and was part of the war between the Royalists and Parliamentarians.
The Old Siege House is in close proximity to the castle, and at the time of the Siege, this restaurant was actually on the road which was once used in the main route to the castle.
The building was situated next to the bridge which crossed the river surrounding the town and castle.
At the beginning of the Siege of Colchester, the Royalists occupied the castle and ruled Colchester.
However, this was not to last, since the Parliamentarians used some clever tactics and soon realised if they could capture the road leading to the town and castle that they could gain control.
The Royalists, after losing the East Bridge side of the castle, become desperate to gain possession of the route to the castle and town again.
They went into battle once more with Parliamentarians and won the Siege.
Two days later the Parliamentarians took back control of the East Bridge when they stormed the castle, killing the Royalist Commanders by firing squad.
Interestingly, most of the fighting took place on the East Bridge and East Hill.
Evidence of the battle can still be seen here today in the Old Siege House – the timber frame of the west side and south front of the building contains many bullet holes from the fighting.
The building still has its original oak panels, fireplaces, tiles and the beautiful stained glass windows which it had at the time of the Siege.
The historic Siege of Colchester and the historic past of the Old Siege House still lives on today through the ambience of this charming and elegant restaurant.
The Siege House has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor, one recent visitor said: “This spot is great for a historic sit outside while taking in all the scenery to being called to the table it was perfect.
”So we'll looked after absolutely best food we've ever tasted. Highly recommend for a casual night to a special night staff super friendly and helpful.
”Can highly recommend slow cooked pigs cheeks and sea bass made our colchester dining experience complete.”
Another person added: “We had another excellent lunch in this very pleasant, spacious and relaxing restaurant. It is close to the city centre and has ample parking for customers.
”The food is always good and the service is prompt and friendly.
”An added bonus is the amazing historic surroundings (this building survived the Siege of Colchester after being in the front line of attack in 1648).”
If you'd like to visit, the address is: 75 East St, Colchester CO1 2TS.
To book a table in advance, visit their website.
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