Just a short drive from St Oswald’s Farm, Corstopitum Roman Town offers an absorbing glimpse into life on the northern edge of the Roman Empire. Set at a key crossroads, the site developed into an important supply base and settlement supporting the nearby garrisons along Hadrian’s Wall. Its wide streets, substantial granaries and workshops reveal a place that was busy, organised and central to frontier life. Today, Corstopitum is a fascinating and rewarding place to explore and just one of the superb local Roman sites that can be enjoyed in the surrounding area.
As you begin to explore the site, the scale and detail of what remains quickly becomes apparent. The outlines of streets guide you through the town, while the towering granaries hint at the vast quantities of supplies that were once stored here. Fragments of everyday Roman life emerge along the way, from workshops and store buildings to carved stonework and inscriptions, inviting visitors to imagine the people who lived, worked and passed through Corstopitum nearly two thousand years ago.
Meeting the Corbridge Lion At Corstopitum
One of the most iconic artefacts at Corstopitum is the Corbridge Lion, a Roman sandstone sculpture believed to date back to the 2nd-3rd century AD. The lifelike carving shows a male lion poised over its prey, perhaps a deer, sheep or similar animal and was most likely originally created as decorative ornament, possibly intended for a tomb. The statue was very obviously later repurposed as a fountainhead as the mouth on the carving now shows, perhaps the Romans showing us then, how to re-use and re-purpose. Today the Corbridge Lion is one of the standout exhibits in the Corbridge Roman Site museum, offering a striking glimpse of Roman craftsmanship and the symbolic art of the period.
The Corbridge Hoard – An Extraordinary Roman Discovery
Another fascinating display within the museum is the Corbridge Hoard which was discovered just a few miles of Corstopitum and is one of the most remarkable Roman finds in Britain. Buried in the early 2nd century AD, the hoard was found packed inside a wooden chest and contained a carefully arranged collection of armour, weapons, tools, and personal items – including beautifully decorated metalwork and parts of a lorica segmentata (body armour). The way the objects were meticulously stored suggests they were deliberately hidden for safekeeping, perhaps during a time of unrest and then never recovered. Today, the hoard helps bring Corstopitum vividly to life, revealing not just the military presence at Corbridge, but the craftsmanship, organisation and everyday realities of Roman soldiers stationed far from home.
Beyond its most famous finds, Corstopitum has yielded a rich collection of artefacts that bring everyday Roman life into focus. Stone altars and inscribed building stones reveal the beliefs, regiments and individuals connected with the town, while coins trace its long period of occupation and change. Alongside these are practical objects such as tools, fittings and fragments of architectural stonework, offering insight into how the settlement functioned on a daily basis. Together, these quieter finds help build a fuller picture of Corstopitum as a working town – organised, lived in and closely tied to the demands of the northern frontier.
A visit to Corstopitum makes for a rewarding and unhurried day out, combining open-air exploration with some of the most fascinating Roman history in the region. After exploring the site and its museum, the nearby village of Corbridge is well worth time of its own, a great place to wander, with fantastic independent shops, cafés and welcoming places to eat as well as a lovely riverside walk.
