Corbridge Roman Town

We spent some time in Corbridge recently and saw that Corbridge Roman Town wasn't too far from the village, so we decided to pay a visit. It completely exceeded my expectations. What a fab place! It was a bright, sunny day which probably helped, as we could take our time and learn all about it, but I just found it fascinating. Although it's much smaller than Pompeii of course, I thought it was similarly full of history and you could completely imagine what it would have been like to live there.

The site is managed by English Heritage and we had a very warm welcome when we arrived. We opted to use the free audio guide and found it invaluable for bringing the site to life. There was so much to see and to learn about, we were here for a good couple of hours.

The building of the town began in AD160 as a base for soldiers, and it wasn't until the 3rd century that it also became a civilian town. There was a clear barrier between the military personnel and civilians however, with it's high ornate walls separating it's people!

There are some building remains which are really impressive, including the large granaries at the start of the tour with their underfloor ventilation still intact.

Another building I found fascinating was the remains of a large public fountain which would have been very ornate in it's day. The settling tank for the water still stands, and you can see how the stone has worn away with people resting on it collecting water. Pretty cool.

Just a little further along from there, are the foundations of what would have probably been a market hall on what was Stane Street, and this really helped me to imagine Corbridge as a busy market town.

Inside the museum there is a wealth of information too. There are finds from excavations on the site including grave stones, reliefs and the best example of segemented plate armour in Britain. There is also a replica of the Corbridge Lanx - a 4.6kg solid silver tray, used as a serving dish for Roman banquets. It was discovered in 1735 by the daughter of a local Blacksmith in Corbridge and the original is now in the British Museum. That would be some find!

There is so much more history on this site - it would be impossible to get any housework done if I wrote it all in this article. There is plenty of information out there already on the English Heritage website if you are keen to know more!