Colchester Queen Street and St Botoloph's old pictures

With the demolition of Colchester’s former bus station in Queen Street taking place earlier this month, we’ve looked through the archives to find these images of the area.

They show some of Queen Street and St Botolph’s Street’s most iconic buildings in years gone by.

Historic - the building which was to become Keddies (Image: Newsquest)

Department store - Keddies can be seen on the left in this image (Image: Newsquest)

Many Colcestrians will remember Keddies, which was knocked down in 2017 to make way for a £30 million overhaul of the area.

Developer Garbe at the time wanted to demolish buildings St James House and Roman House, the former Keddies store, and build four ground floor shops with a three-star hotel above.

The popular department shop ceased trading in 1996, 42 years after company director David Keddie took the reins.

Depot - the former bus station off Queen Street (Image: Newsquest)

Closer look - a group inspects Colchester's former bus station (Image: Newsquest)

Then there is the ex-bus station which was reduced to rubble earlier this month.

First Bus stopped using the depot in 2015 when it moved its buses to a new home in Haven Road, Colchester.

An immersive technology centre will now be built in its wake as part of a £4.7 million partnership aiming to rejuvenate the land in Queen Street.

Bus station - the site off Queen Street (Image: Newsquest)

Slice of history - this building now houses Italian chain Prezzo (Image: Newsquest)

The site had previously been the grandiose Theatre Royal which seated 1,200 people before a devastating fire destroyed it within a few hours in September 1918.

Our archive pictures also depict a bustling Colchester Town Railway Station in the 1970s and Sixties.

Waiting - Colchester Town Railway Station in July 1984 (Image: Newsquest)

Service - a train pulls in during June 1979 (Image: Newsquest)

Also depicted is Firstsite gallery after it opened the impressive structure in Lewis Gardens in 2011.

Firstsite began life in 1993 in Colchester’s 18th century Minories building but soon outgrew the space and a new home was required.

Parked up - cars parked outside Colchester Town Railway Station (Image: Newsquest)

Grand opening - Firstsite pictured in 2011 (Image: Newsquest)

The home was finally unveiled in September 2011 after design problems, delays and flooding saw the construction cost spiral to £28.2 million.