Wallsend Roman Fort

This fort was built over local people’s fields as evidence of the field system was found during excavation

122 AD this fort was built at the same time as Hadrian’s Wall. The fort held 600 men – 120 cavalry and 480 infantry.
142 AD the Antonine Wall was built and some changes to the fort layout were made.
200 Ad ish, the granary was extended.
225 to 235 AD new stables were added and it is thought the number of infantry was reduced.
270 Ad further changes were made and the fort remained in use up to the Theodosian period of 380 when coin use ceased at all Harian’s Wall forts.

The Branch Wall (bottom right of picture)
The Branch Wall ran down towards the Tyne from the southeast corner of the fort. It is possible that the very end of the wall was marked by a temple or monument. This final section of the wall was found in Swan Hunters’ shipyard when they were expanding their site in 1903 and was moved from its original location to Wallsend Park where it stayed for 92 years. In 1991 it was moved to its present position, although not where it was first found, The Branch Wall now stands marking its original route.
The Cavalry Barracks
The two barracks visible today were excavated thoroughly from 1997 to 1998. In doing so the archaeologists discovered that the buildings followed the standard layout for Roman barracks; a series of rooms, paired front to back, with quarters for an officer at one end.
In the front rooms of the barracks are large oval pits. Once covered with wooden boards, these pits confirm the cavalry status of the barracks thanks to the traces of horse manure and urine found inside.
The Commanding Officers House (Praetorium)
This is the largest building within the fort, most of which was unfortunately destroyed by the construction of The Simpson’s Hotel in 1912.
The layout consisted of a large central courtyard surrounded by a range of rooms. Though no evidence of them survives we know, based on other surviving examples, that the rooms would have included; a dining room, kitchen, private bathing suite, and slaves’ quarters.
The Headquarters (Principia)
Entry to the Headquarters was through an enclosed courtyard surrounded on three sides by a covered walkway, the column bases for which can still be seen today. In the corner of the courtyard, there is a small water tank which would have supplied water for religious ceremonies and rituals.
The sunken room at the centre was the most important. This was the strong room which contained the garrison’s funds, above which was a shrine housing the unit’s standards,
The Double Granary (Horrea)
This building was used to store the Garrison’s food supplies.
In the eastern half of the Granary are long strips of cobbles running inside the building. These mark where the ‘sleeper’ walls were built to support a raised floor. This is a vital feature in a granary as it allows air to circulate more freely which keeps the food dry, meaning it can be stored for longer.
The Water Tank
Added to the fort in the late third century, The Water Tank was likely fed by a small aqueduct, supplying water from a nearby stream.
The tank’s purpose was to allow undesirable particles in the water to settle before being distributed around the fort.
An overflow was added later which allowed water to flow from the tank to the latrines in the nearby hospital building, providing it with a rudimentary flushing toilet.
The Hospital
This building was erected in the second century on the site of an earlier wooden structure of which very little remains.
There is no solid archaeological evidence that this was a hospital. When it was first discovered it was thought to be the Commanding Officer’s house. Despite being half the size, it has a similar layout built around a central courtyard.
There are latrines in the southwest corner that could hold several men accompanied by some small rooms that are believed to have served as wards for the infirm. The courtyard may have offered a space for recuperating injured soldiers.