Warm work

Carlisle lay on the far northern frontier of the vast Roman Empire. Hadrian's Wall, which was built to mark the frontier, ran just north of the city and it has been known for a long time where at least two forts were - one was where Tullie House now stands. Another, and much bigger one, was in Stanwix, not far away - it is under Stanwix School! It has been known that there was a huge bathhouse somewhere in the area and in May 2017 it was found.

When Carlisle Cricket Club Pavilion was flooded (twice) it was decided to relocate it to higher ground on the opposite side. During the planning stage an archaeological investigation took place . . . and evidence of the bathhouse was found. We went to see what was going on then and saw some of the fascinating things that were found. 

Eventually the dig was filled in and the finds put on display in Tullie House. Since then it has been realised just how important this find was - the largest known building on the Wall. The Baths would have been used by the elite cavalry based at Stanwix and evidence of floors, wall coverings etc. has been found to show what a splendid place it would have been.

Last month a new dig (Uncovering Roman Carlisle) was started, funded from various sources. Much more has been found, including pieces of sculpture which have been called 'finds of a lifetime'. Local people are encouraged to go and see what is going on and a couple of times a day there are guided tours. Today we went and here is what we saw. Absolutely fascinating to watch the people at work - digging, measuring, recording. We also saw a selection of some of the finds - vast quantities of pottery, coins, bones etc. 

If you look closely you might be able to detect a line of kerb stones in the  corner - middle of the top of the photo. This is part of a Roman road they have uncovered.