Chesters Roman Fort

B6318, Chollerford, Hexham NE46 4EU

Cilurnum or Cilurvum was a fort on Hadrian's Wall mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum. It is now identified with the fort found at Chesters (also known as Walwick Chesters to distinguish it from other sites named Chesters in the vicinity) near the village of Walwick, Northumberland, England. It was built in 123 AD, just after the wall's completion.

Cilurnum is considered to be the best preserved Roman cavalry fort along Hadrian's Wall. The site is now preserved by English Heritage as Chesters Roman Fort. There is a museum on the site, housing finds from the fort and elsewhere along the wall.

The site guarded a bridge, Chesters Bridge, carrying the Military Way Roman road behind the wall across the River North Tyne. Massive abutments survive of this bridge across the river from the fort. Cilurnum was a cavalry fort at its foundation, for retaliatory raids into barbarian areas north of the wall, then given over to infantry later. 

Hadrian himself encouraged the "Cult of Disciplina" among legions stationed at the wall, and an early inscription on an altar dedicated to Disciplina, found in 1978, indicates the earliest known military presence was a wing of cavalry, ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata ("named Augusta because of its valour"). Inscriptions have also been found showing the Cohors I Delmatarum, from present-day Bosnia-Herzegovina (Yugoslavia), and the Cohors I Vangionum from Upper Rhineland in Germany were also stationed here.

Four large Roman columns, believed to come from Cilurnum, may be seen supporting the south aisle in the church of St Giles at Chollerton, a couple of miles upstream from the fort.

CHESTERS BRIDGE ABUTMENT
Across the river from Chesters Roman Fort lies the east abutment of the bridge over the North Tyne. A pier embedded in this abutment probably formed part of the Hadrianic bridge. This is thought to have had ten stone piers supporting a timber superstructure carrying a walk across the river.

The position of the robbed east abutment of the bridge and a section of the paved riverbed can be seen in the bottom of the later tower. The visible abutment lay on the east side of the second bridge, which was built in the early third century. A gate tower, the basement of which survives, gave access to the bridge consisting of three stone arches.

Many carved stones from the superstructure of this bridge remain on the site. In the later Roman period a water channel serving a mill south of the bridge, was led through the tower basement.

View my photographs of Chesters Roman Fort  >>

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenfitzpatrick/albums/72157715069431196