I seem to have spent more than half the week in Colchester, and been down this street more times than usual. Just a few doors away from my twinkle twinkle blip of a few days ago stands the Grade II* listed building of St Martins Church.

Construction started in the 11th Century, but the majority was completed by the 14th. Although now, it is 5 or 6 roads away from Colchester Castle, their construction dates must be similar. The fabric of the building also shows similarities. The church is built of mainly flint, rubble and re-used Roman tiles. Inside, a wagon roof (sometimes called a vaulted roof) can be seen in the chancel.

In 1648, during the Civil War, the part wood, part tile tower was severely damaged and never rebuilt properly. By the 18th Century, the church was no longer holding services as it's structure had deteriorated.

In the early 1900s, some considerable restoration took place under the world famous architect, Giles Gilbert Scott, best known for his Liverpool Cathedral, Battersea Power Station and of course, the K2 Phone kiosk (see Mooncoins' entry).

However, since 1953, it has not been used as a church, being first turned over to a theatre group and now under the stewardship of the Churches Conservation Trust and Colchester Museums.