Corbridge Roman Town - Hadrian's Wall — Attraction in Corbridge

More unusual than some of the forts along Hadrian's Wall because this place was very much integrated into the town with a high street running through the middle of this settlement. Information Boards around the site help you to visualise how this place would have looked in it's prime, and the "point and play" free audio guide is very useful if you want more detail. From the ruins and plans of this site, it's clear to see how the fort was laid out. It follows the traditional structures of Roman Forts with it's Granaries, Barracks, Officers Houses, Commanders House (Praetorium) and Headquarters (Principia). The museum is very well designed with floor to ceiling glass on the left side facing onto the ruins. The displays of artifacts and stone work are excellent, I like the way the glass display cabinets have small spotlights inside them. It means you don't get reflection off the glass from external lighting that so many places have. Two of the best finds on this site are the Corbridge Stone Carved Lion and the Lanx, a beautiful 4.6Kg solid silver tray. The Corbridge Lion is displayed in this museum, but Lanx is a replica with the original on display in the British museum. I've noticed this at several museums along Hadrian's Wall that for security, the most precious items have been transferred to the...

Corbridge Roman Town is not part of Hadrian's wall. It is actually an ancient Roman high street. In the past it housed the settlements of craftsmen like black smiths, jewellers, Roman officer's homes as well as granaries for storage of food. It is definitely a must visit place as it shows how advance the Romans were. It also has an excellent museum with huge collections of artifacts excavated from the site. The museum houses fragments of pediments from buildings, statues, potteries, jewelleries and tools that the craftsmen used in ancient times. My favourite is the silver tray excavated from the nearby river. Although a replica, the actual tray artifact looked similar to the replica on display at the museum. The explanations given about the Roman culture was very informative and great too as you learn about the various gods that they worshipped. There is also a gift shop attached to the museum where you can pick up jams, chutneys, fruit wines and fridge magnets and etcetera. The fruit wines are very light to consume and the jams are excellent as real fruits are used instead of flavourings and pectins. The staffs were friendly and helpful. Kudos to English Heritage for managing and maintaining the site. Definitely a must visit place if you are...

My wife and I visited the town and museum in September 2024. It was a fascinating glimpse at our ancient histories and well worth the time spent. If, like me, you are a Roman nerd then you must get up to Corbridge. I spent many minutes reading every placard and sign, listened to every story on the audio tour and walked every inch of the ruins.

One of the nice things about this ruin is you can climb all over the remains, nothing is behind a wire or plastic case. you are right there walking where the Romans walked. And the ruins do cover quite a large area. It's a good hour wandering around listening to the detailed audio tour.

Having been to Pompeii and the Colosseum, those are magnificent, far-away places from a far-away time. It's just awe-inspiring to visit that same era of history and culture right here on our brilliant little island.

Beware the entrance; its a tiny little path off Cycle Route 72 country lane and easily missed. Its also barely wide enough for one vehicle, so you may have to reverse up to let someone else in. Not quite treacherous, but defo a bit sketchy.

Once you are done with this, next stop should be...