Chesters Roman Fort Train Holidays

Chesters Roman Fort takes its current name from the nearby mansion of the same name. Its Roman name was Cilurnum, and it was the Sixth Fort in Hadrian's Wall. The fort was built in 123AD, just after the wall's completion, so as to guard the adjacent bridge that carried the wall over the River North Tyne. Spanning almost six acres, the fort was one of Roman Britain's largest. It was primarily a cavalry fort, and saw a lot of active use - it was known to have been garrisoned in both the 3rd and 4th centuries.

Ancient Britain preserved

Little is known about when the fort went out of use; in fact the fort was only discovered in the 19th century when the Clayton family, the owners of Chesters Mansion, moved earth to landscape their parkland. They excavated and restored it, enabling a museum to be established there. Thanks to the Clayton family, the Cilurnum Fort is generally considered to be the best-preserved Roman fort in Britain. It gives a great insight into the lives of the Roman soldiers as their baths, steam room and living quarters can all be seen. There is also a brilliant visitor centre, filled with an amazing collection of Roman artefacts found during excavations of nearby sections of the wall.

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Ancient Britain preserved