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Caerleon Legionary Fortress: Field SE of Broadway is a Roman legionary fortress established in Wales during the late first century AD. The fortress occupied a strategic position overlooking the River Usk, serving as a permanent base for the Second Augustan Legion. Built on bedrock of Lower Devonian rocks—mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed in the Early Devonian—the site benefited from relatively stable geological foundations suited to substantial military construction.
The fortress followed the characteristic playing-card layout of Roman military design, with defensive ditches, ramparts and internal barrack blocks arranged in a regular grid. Substantial stone buildings later replaced timber structures, including a principia (headquarters building), bath complex and workshops. The fortress controlled communications through South Wales and provided a base for campaigning in the mountainous interior.
Archaeological investigation has revealed extensive remains of the fortress's infrastructure across the site. The fortress was occupied for approximately two centuries before being largely abandoned around the early third century AD as military priorities shifted. Today, substantial portions of the fortress remain preserved beneath pasture and arable land. The site is protected by Cadw under reference MM237 as a monument of national importance, retaining significant potential for future archaeological study.
Caerleon Legionary Fortress: Field SE of Broadway is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM237. View the official record →
Caerleon Legionary Fortress: Field SE of Broadway is a Roman legionary fortress established in Wales during the late first century AD. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MM237.
Caerleon Legionary Fortress: Field SE of Broadway dates from the roman period, and is classified as a legionary fortress. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Caerleon Legionary Fortress: Field SE of Broadway is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is MM237.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St Julian's Wood Camp (1.4 km), Newport Castle (3.4 km), St. Mary's Churchyard Cross, Llanwern (4.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Caerleon Legionary Fortress: Field SE of Broadway's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Caerleon Legionary Fortress: Field SE of Broadway stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.