Mercury on the Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gardens, Colchester
Posted by: 
greysman
N 51° 53.376 E 000° 53.651
31U E 355086 N 5750855
This statue of Mercury graces the wonderful Mercury Theatre in Colchester.
Waymark Code: WMGW3E
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/14/2013
Views: 8
The Mercury Theatre is a theatre in Colchester, built in 1972. It originated with the Colchester Repertory Company, formed in 1937. After considerable campaigning and fundraising a theatre, designed by Norman Downie, was constructed. The theatre hosts the Mercury Theatre Company which was formed in 1998. It has a main house with a capacity of 500 and a studio theatre that can seat up to 80. from
Mercury Theatre
The Mercury Theatre was called the Mercury after a statue to the Roman god Mercury which was ploughed up in a field in 1945 in the Gosbecks area of the town by Bert Beales, a local farmer. It was found close to the temple and Bert kept it in his shed for two years until an expert recognised it. They tell us that it is from the Roman period, although we can only guess at any significance attached to where it was found, and it is said to be one of the finest Roman bronze sculptures so far found in Britain. The original is now in the museum in Colchester Castle but the replica on the theatre is not really like the original.
The theatre also contains The Digby Gallery, which showcases local art. The Digby Gallery exhibits work by artists living and/or working in the region. The gallery is situated here at the Mercury Theatre and is open to the public.
The planet Mercury with an orbital period of about 88 Earth days. Seen from the Earth, it appears to move around its orbit in about 116 days, which is much faster than any other planet. This rapid motion may have led to it being named after the Roman deity Mercury... From the article in Wikipedia for which see:- Mercury