Roman/Arbor

Apparently the Roman origins of Aldborough (near Boroughbridge) have been known since John Leland, Henry VIII's surveyor of antiquities.

But it took the late 18th / early 19th century fashion for follies and ruins ('a small wilderness' - Lady Catherine De Bourgh) to turn this section of Roman city wall into an arboretum.

The mosaics they have found are not that exciting (compared to those I have seen in Switzerland, Italy and Spain) but the artefacts are fascinating, not least of all for the evidence they provide that the obsessions with gadgets and new technologies (in this case, fine copper-based metal work) is long-standing. One that amused me was a 'key ring' - literally a ring which was also a key.

Certainly worth an hour if you are in the area and have English Heritage membership.