Shanna's Adventures: English Heritage

Showing posts with label English Heritage. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Remembering Romano-British Cumbria and Northumbria

Location of Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall in Scotland and Northern England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A year ago today we were bundled up and occasionally getting pelted with sleet as we visited our first British Castle in Carlisle, Cumbria. We were introduced to the story of St. George and the dragon when our then 8 year old was able to participate in a reenactment of the story. This was also the first place we saw obvious indications of Roman occupation of this area. Stones from earlier Roman structures, including those inscribed with Latin, were used in the construction of Carlisle Castle.

However, it was on the following day that we really got a taste of the Romano-British era as we followed Hadrian's Wall on what was once a Roman road. We stopped at several major forts like Housesteads as well as smaller roadside mileforts along the route.

These couple of days were some of the most amazing and memorable. Of all the places we visited, this northernmost area of England is right up there with London in priority for a return visit. I would love to explore this area on foot one day.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Great Britain: A Vacation to Remember

On this day last year, we were on our way to Great Britain for the vacation of a lifetime. During those first few days, we visited historical sites the likes of which I had never before seen: Avebury, Stonehenge, and Old Sarum among them. We wore ourselves out trying to see and do as much as we could during our two weeks in-country. Our pace was exhausting, but it was so amazing! I will be taking time to reminisce over the next couple of weeks and sharing photos and videos that I just didn't get a chance to share last year.

Friday, October 30, 2015

English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass

Stonehenge April 2015

Are you planning a trip to England with plans of hitting three or more the the English Heritage Sites during your stay? If so, I highly recommend getting the English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass. We saved about $100 by purchasing this pass.

Here is the breakdown of entry fees for a family of 2 adults with up to 3 children for each place we visited during our stay:

Old Sarum £12.20

Avebury £7.00 for parking; visiting the stones is free

Stonehenge a wapping £41.60

Carlisle Castle £17.40

Housesteads £19.00

Chester's Roman Fort & Museum £16.60

Corbridge Roman Town £16.60

We would have paid a total of £130.40 in entry fees for these stops which equals approximately $200 US. We paid half that for our Overseas Visitor Pass.

You can buy them online before you leave home or at one their staffed heritage sights. Proof of foreign residency is required. There are many heritage sites that are free but those may have parking fees. The more popular castles and manor houses as well as famous sites like Stonehenge and Hadrian's Wall have some pretty hefty entry fees.

So, if you are planning a trip to England, save some money with the English Heritage Overseas Pass. And don't miss my post An American Driver in Great Britain for ideas on renting a car and driving during your stay. Cheerio!

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Corbridge: A Roman Town

The last stop on our tour of Hadrian's Wall was the remains of Corbridge: A Roman Town. Corbridge is significant for several reasons - the most obvious being the easily discernible stratification of several eras of Roman construction.

During the Roman occupation of the the British Isles, forts were constructed to secure areas of conquest. However, there was a secondary benefit. Roman soldiers meant opportunities for trade. So villages would spring up outside the forts. This process was a convenient way to Romanize (or civilize) the occupied area. Corbridge became one of two successful Roman towns in the area around Hadrian's Wall (the other being Carlisle). While Corbridge was growing and inhabited right up to the end of the Roman occupation, there was very little development thereafter in contrast to Carlisle. The Roman remains there are buried beneath a castle and modern town. But Corbridge is surrounding by rural lands lending itself to much more extensive excavations. Therefore, the remains of at least four forts built one on top of the other are apparent followed by a large legionary supply base and a full-blown town. Subsidence of the upper layers shows is the first clue that the town was built on top of previous forts.

The undulation of the ground in the center reveals settling due to the underlying Roman construction

I believe this was a granary - ventilation kept out the wet and pests

Subterranean drainage system

Storage Room

The museum at Corbridge houses a variety of items uncovered in the area including Roman armor and other items found as part of the Corbridge Hoard and the Corbridge Lion which is believed to be a gravestone.

Hunt cup from Corbridge Roman Town

Corbridge Lion

See our tour of Hadrian's Wall on YouTube

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Chester's Roman Fort and Museum

Chester's Roman Fort and Museum is significant for the level of preservation of the fort and it's location along the picturesque River Tyne. The site contains the most complete remains of a Roman calvary fort and baths in Britain. The museum at Chester's contains a large collection of Roman artifacts the most significant of which are stone sculptures and inscriptions. Most of the artifacts in the museum were uncovered along the central section of Hadrian's wall by John Clayton (1792-1890), without whom, Chester's, in particular, and Hadrian's Wall, in general, would not be preserved and available to visitors today.

The bathhouse overlooking the Tyne River.

Roman Bathhouse as seen from the Tyne

Jonah and I enjoying the Sauna!

Extensive remains of the Roman Bathhouse at Chester's

Hadrian's Wall crossed the River Tyne here supported by a bridge

The walls in the main room of the museum are lined with sculptures and inscriptions mainly of a religious nature

The Edwardian era display of artifacts is significant in and of itself

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Housesteads Roman Fort

The site of Housesteads Roman Fort and Museum

Due to its remote location, Housesteads, originally called Vercovicium, is the most well-preserved Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall. It sits high on a hill on a break in the Whin Sill ridge near the very center of the wall (Castle Black, anyone?). Like all other Roman forts, this one was based on a standard design used throughout the Roman empire and included a barracks, granary, hospital, the commander's house, and the fort headquarters. This particular fort has the best preserved Roman latrines in all of Britain that still "flush" as designed. While all Roman forts had a decidedly Mediterranean style with central courtyards open to the sky, they made accommodations for the cool climate by designing radiant heating in the floors. Amazing! By the way, the 6-minute video housed in the small museum adjacent to the site is a must. It does a great job of succinctly describing how the fort was used and what it would have looked like when it was occupied by 800 Roman soldiers during it's heyday.

The bases of columns are visible

The headquarters building in foreground with a view of the Northumbrian countryside in the background

Barracks once lined this avenue

Showing the design of radiant heated Roman floors.

The Roman latrine - wood bench seats would have lined the walls

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Old Sarum

Old Sarum in Salisbury is an ancient Stone Age hill fort just 20 minutes from Stonehenge. The site was used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons, but was markedly changed by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest. He had an inner fort and moat constructed as a strategic stronghold in the area. Subsequent construction of a keep and a cathedral by English kings have added to the significance of the area. Much like Stonehenge, one can best appreciate the scale of the place when viewed from above. That being said, we were overawed by the size and emmence history of the place perhaps even more than Stonehenge.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Stonehenge

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Avebury Standing Stones

Avebury is a World Heritage site with an earthen henge encompassing a ring of prehistoric standing stones. Within the standing stones are two more rings of stones each with a central feature. The site dates back to 2800BC and encompasses part of Avebury Village.