{"id":2041,"date":"2025-01-10T15:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2041"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:59:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:59:15","slug":"remarkable-romans-chesters-roman-fort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/remarkable-romans-chesters-roman-fort\/","title":{"rendered":"Remarkable Romans – Chesters Roman Fort"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"alt="Chesters<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No trip to Northumberland would be complete without a visit to at least one of the amazing Roman sites along Hadrian\u2019s Wall and just a 5 minute drive from St Oswald’s Farm lies the impressive Chesters Roman Fort which gives a remarkable window into Britain\u2019s Roman past. As one of the best-preserved Roman cavalry forts in the country, Chesters offers visitors an unparalleled opportunity to step back nearly 2000 years and explore life at the edge of the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chesters Roman Fort, originally known as Cilurnum, was built around AD123 to guard a strategic crossing over the River North Tyne. This fort was home to a garrison of around 500 Roman soldiers who were tasked with defending this frontier of the Roman Empire. Today, Chesters stands as a testament to what can only be described as amazing Roman engineering and its well-preserved ruins invite visitors to imagine the daily lives of the soldiers who once patrolled these grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the highlights of the Chesters site is the remarkable bathhouse area where you can explore the various rooms used for cold, warm and hot baths, and marvel at the advanced underfloor heating system, a sophistication that truly showcases Roman engineering!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"alt="Chesters
Bath House changing rooms! Image credit: Peter C Angus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you explore this picturesque riverside location the remains of the commandant\u2019s house provides a glimpse into the accommodation of the fort\u2019s commanding officer and the size and layout of this structure highlights the status and importance of the fort\u2019s leadership. Take a walk through the ruins of the soldiers\u2019 barracks and stables where the Roman cavalry and their horses lived and trained which paints a vivid picture of life in this once bustling Roman military base. As you walk among its ancient stones and imagine the lives of the Roman soldiers who once called it home, you\u2019ll gain a profound appreciation for the legacy of the Roman Empire in Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chesters museum and collections are housed in a Victorian building on-site and is a treasure trove of Roman artefacts from intricately carved altars and inscriptions to tools and personal items, the collection provides deeper insight into the lives of the Romans stationed at Cilurnum. The collection at Chesters contains 53 centurial stones which give the names of the centurions who, together with their men built Hadrian’s Wall. When you stay with us be sure to try to spot our Centurion stone<\/a> that is built into the front of the farmhouse here together with a second engraved stone<\/a> in one of our farm buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"alt="roman<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Roman Centurion stones at St Oswald’s Farm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When visiting Chesters you will undoubtedly spot the remains on the eastern river bank of a bridge and in fact the remains are not of one but two successive bridges, an early one that carried Hadrian’s Wall and a second, much larger one, that carried the Military Way, the road that serviced the Wall. This site is free to visit and can be accessed by a short walk either from Chesters or from nearby Chollerford and details can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"alt="Chesters<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chesters Roman Fort isn\u2019t just a historical site it\u2019s a really lovely place to visit, so whether you\u2019re a true history buff or just someone who wants to take in a little history in a pretty spot this timeless treasure in the heart of Hadrian’s Wall country won’t disappoint. For more Roman sites to enjoy see our posts on Vindolanda<\/a>, Housesteads<\/a> and The Roman Army Museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No trip to Northumberland would be complete without a visit to at least one of the amazing Roman sites along Hadrian\u2019s Wall and just a 5 minute drive from St Oswald’s Farm lies the impressive Chesters Roman Fort which gives a remarkable window into Britain\u2019s Roman past. As one of the best-preserved Roman cavalry forts… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,136,4,197],"tags":[219,36,5,221,220,164],"class_list":["post-2041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hadrians-wall-area-attractions","category-north-east-attractions","category-northumberland","category-visitor-attractions","tag-chesters","tag-days-out","tag-northumberland","tag-places-to-visit-northumberland","tag-roman-fort","tag-roman-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2041"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2060,"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041\/revisions\/2060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}