Current Time in Colchester, England
The live time in Colchester (Essex), with the GMT or BST status, the next clock change and sunrise and sunset through the year.
About time in Colchester
Colchester claims to be Britain's oldest recorded town, as the Roman Camulodunum, and became a city in 2022. It lies almost one degree east of Greenwich, so the sun rises and sets about three and a half minutes earlier than in London. It is under an hour by train from London Liverpool Street.
- Claims to be Britain's oldest recorded town.
- City status was granted in 2022.
- East of the prime meridian.
About 122,000 people live in Colchester. At 51.90 degrees north and 0.89 degrees east of Greenwich, true solar noon here falls about 4 minutes before clock noon. The clock itself always matches the rest of the UK.
Sunrise and sunset in Colchester through the year
Times for the 15th of each month in UK local time (GMT or BST). Calculated from the city's latitude and longitude.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:57 | 16:14 | 8h 17m |
| February | 07:12 | 17:10 | 9h 58m |
| March | 06:11 | 18:00 | 11h 49m |
| April | 06:00 | 19:53 | 13h 52m |
| May | 05:03 | 20:42 | 15h 39m |
| June | 04:36 | 21:17 | 16h 41m |
| July | 04:54 | 21:09 | 16h 15m |
| August | 05:40 | 20:20 | 14h 41m |
| September | 06:30 | 19:12 | 12h 42m |
| October | 07:20 | 18:03 | 10h 43m |
| November | 07:15 | 16:06 | 8h 51m |
| December | 07:57 | 15:45 | 7h 48m |
Colchester time compared with the world
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Time in nearby cities
Clock change guides
- What Is Daylight Saving Time (DST)? A Plain-English GuideWhat daylight saving time is, how it works in the UK, Europe and the US, why it exists, its history, who uses it and the argument over scrapping it.
- Why Do the Clocks Go Back in October? The Real ReasonThe clocks go back in autumn to return the UK to GMT, so winter mornings are lighter. The history, the rule, what time it happens and what changes for you.
- When Do the Clocks Go Forward Again After Going Back?When the UK clocks go forward again after the autumn change, how long the UK stays on GMT, when evenings get lighter and how to remember to reset your clocks.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Colchester in?
Colchester is in the UK time zone. It uses Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+0) in winter and British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1) in summer, the same as the rest of the UK.
When do the clocks change in Colchester?
The clocks go forward at 01:00 on the last Sunday of March and back at 02:00 on the last Sunday of October. In 2026 that is Sunday, 29 March 2026 and Sunday, 25 October 2026.
How much daylight does Colchester get in summer and winter?
Around 16h 43m at the June solstice and 7h 46m at the December solstice, based on its latitude of 51.9 degrees north.
Is Colchester on the same time as London?
Yes. All UK clocks show the same time. Because Colchester is 0.9 degrees east of Greenwich, solar noon here is about 4 minutes before clock noon (GMT), but the clocks do not differ.