Roman Column, York

Another freezing day. One for the bus, not the bike!

The Roman column was one of sixteen similar columns that supported the roof of the basilica of the fort in York, one of the most important Roman forts in northern England. It was very likely inside this basilica that Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of Rome in AD 306.

The plaque on the side of the column reads:

"This Roman column once stood within the great hall of the headquarters building of the fortress of the Sixth Legion in the fourth century AD. It was found in 1969 during the excavation of the south transept of the Minster lying where it had collapsed. It was given by the Dean & Chapter to the York Civic Trust who, in 1971, erected it on this site to mark the 1900th anniversary of the foundation of the city by the Romans in AD 71."

Within the Minster undercroft, a second Roman column is still in its original position.