Street sequences in the town centre

It's always a pleasure to wander through Colchester’s town centre, or at least the small back streets. The non-linear arrangement of open spaces makes every turning interesting. One is never quite sure what to expect – whether it's going to be a church, a small green space, a couple of benches in a pedestrian street or a water fountain surrounded by shop frontages. The opportunity to discover the town over and over again is one of the refreshing and fascinating aspects of Colchester. Apart from the pedestrianised areas, the High Street provides generous pavements for shoppers to browse shop fronts and well-designed paving and crossing points allow for ease of movement. Gratifying, too, is the enlightened decision to do away with pedestrian barriers along the High Street. This has resulted in a central space, presided over by the attractive timber framed post office, which feels owned by pedestrians and cars alike, and even offering shoppers the chance (if lucky) to briefly stop their car outside the required shop. The only time the High Street becomes unpleasant is at weekend nights, but that problem is beyond even the powers of architects.