News
Last chance to tour Jumbo
Special Jumbo tours for half term week will be the last chance to get the full experience ahead of the tower’s closure for enabling works which are due to start early next month.
The popular public tours of Jumbo will stop at the end of October to allow hoardings to be erected around Colchester’s favourite landmark, ready for work to start later this year.
Last tours will run at 1pm and 2.30pm on Saturday, October 24, Sunday, October 25, Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1. Daily tours can be booked for 11am on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of half term week which starts on October 26. The tour on Tuesday, October 27 will be at 1pm. Bookings can be made here. Places are strictly limited. Children must be at least eight years old and accompanied by an adult. Health and safety rules apply, and visitors must be fit enough to climb the steep 157 steps.
Simon Hall, MBE, DL, Chair of charity North Essex Heritage which is leading The Jumbo Project to conserve and transform the building into an accessible visitor attraction and venue, said:
“After years of hard work behind the scenes, we are thrilled to finally see the hoarding go up. We are, of course, sad to see the end of our regular weekend tours, which have proved so popular and have usually sold out in minutes.
“Our amazing volunteer guides have been so generous with their time and allowed us to give thousands of people the chance to see inside Jumbo before work begins. Ticket sales have boosted our Love Jumbo Appeal. When construction is underway, we may to be able to offer shorter tours of parts of the building, but access will be restricted.
“Once reopened, Jumbo will offer events for everyone. Impressive displays in the tank will tell Jumbo’s incredible story, bring our city’s history to life and showcase important contemporary issues from a unique perspective. Windows in the tank will give visitors unrivalled views of the city.”
Made possible with an £11.3million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, Jumbo will be saved from deteriorating and adapted into a commercially viable attraction. North Essex Heritage has raised a total of £14m for The Jumbo Project, including support from other funders such as Historic England, The Garfield Weston Foundation, the UK Government and Colchester City Council. The work on Jumbo will take up to two years.
Through its Love Jumbo Appeal, North Essex Heritage is trying to raise an additional £700,000 to support the elements required to make the project meet the Trust’s aspirations that Jumbo is a truly exceptional destination and an exemplar of a conservation scheme. The appeal offers individuals, families, businesses and organisations the opportunity to get involved in the next chapter of the Jumbo story.
Supporters can be part of history by adopting one of 264 cast iron panel in the water tank and have their names recorded in the building. For £500, each of the huge panels can be adopted for 20 years. In return, adopters will have their name and a dedication displayed at Jumbo, creating a lasting personal connection with the Grade ll* Listed building.
Businesses can get involved by adopting tank panels, sponsoring other parts of the building, including the historic pipes and staircases, or the new lift, or becoming Corporate Sponsors.
To register an interest in adopting a panel or to find out more about corporate sponsorships, contact giving@northessexheritage.org Donations can be made here. Supporters can also sponsor some of Jumbo’s 1.2m locally made bricks and receive a digital certificate.