Corbridge Roman Town – Hadrian's Wall

Our View

The Romans built and rebuilt their fort at Corstopitum over several centuries, and the current fort is the fourth version. It was built about AD140 as a jumping-off point for the pacification of Caledonia. That turned out not to be one of the Empire’s brighter ideas, but Corstopitum continued to be an important military base long after the Romans finally gave up on conquering the north at the end of the second century. It changed from a purely military base into a thriving mercantile community – the most northerly in the Roman Empire. Much of that settlement is still buried, though its stones are found in many Corbridge and Hexham buildings. The big granaries, with their stone-slabbed floors and walls, give you an idea of the immense logistics of feeding the legions which manned the wall, and the inscriptions and small personal objects – combs, buttons and bronze pins – remind you that the Roman soldiers and the civilians who lived here were people just like us. The square courtyard to the north of the main street (part of Stanegate) was never finished and no one is quite sure what it was. Opposite are the military compounds, where you can trace the workshops and officers’ houses before descending into the former strongroom to see where soldiers and locals worshipped both Roman and local gods. Pride of place in the museum at Corstopitum goes to the Corbridge Lion. A finely carved, spirited beast with a bushy mane, it is depicted attacking a stag. It is thought that the lion may have started its life on a tomb, but was later moved to ornament the great fountain in the town, parts of which can still be seen.