onionbagblog

This piece was first published in the brilliant Colchester 101 magazine. Copies are available for free around pubs, shops and other public places in the town.

Twenty years to the exact week that I first moved to Colchester, I made my return to North Essex in October of 2010. I met my partner at a fresh undergraduate (a very fresh undergraduate…) during my first night on campus back in 1990. Three glorious years at Wivenhoe Park followed, seventeen so so years in London. Now we find ourselves back in North Essex.

Blimey.

And so what’s behind giving up the bright lights of the West End for the bright lights of Queen Street? A possible mid-life crisis, a probable quest to find a more peaceful lifestyle, plus a genuine love of living in Colchester and the surrounds.

We came close to relocating up to the Lake District. I wanted remoteness, but not that remote. You can’t under estimate the near perfect geographical location Colchester benefits from. The coast is only a short bike ride away, and London life less than an hour out of North Station. I know which option will be holding more appeal to me after seventeen years of London living.

The past couple of months have been spent rediscovering Colchester. Much has changed in our two decades away, but reassuringly, the spirit and friendliness of the local folk seems to remain.

The whole Hythe redevelopment has passed us by. “Darling - they’ve knocked down Colchester Lathe Factory and only gone and built a bloody Tescos!” Given the size of the huge superstore out towards Greenstead, and there’s probably a whole lathe aisle located within.

Layer Road football ground has been lost. I like the name of the Community Stadium, and only hope that the genuine community around the U’s has managed to make the move along to the edges of the A12. Do they still sing “Roy McDonough’s blue and white army?”

I’m very much the new boy around these parts, but I’m meeting plenty of interesting people. Simple household tasks such as arranging for a plumber, an electrician and a handyman to come round (we had a hat trick of bad luck) has opened up some fascinating tales on Colchester life. My experience of London tradesmen is usually centred on the bill; the Colchester counterparts come across as an extension of the Essex Tourist Board.

We’ve actually had a busier social life over the past two months in Essex than the past two years in London. It’s a bit of a drag to make the trip from South London to North London to watch a play or go to a gig. In a more intimate town, and the appearance of a recognised name at the Arts Centre gets you out and about. If Dick Gaughan has an interest in Sunny Colchester on a Monday night, then I have an interest in heading out to see him perform.

And so almost two decades after my first North Essex adventure, I’m once again having a wonderful experience second time around. The double-headed student beast of booze ‘n books made it an insular approach back in the day. Colchester has so much to offer and explore - and I don’t mean the just the SU bar either.