© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)
Arbeia, the Roman fort at South Shields, is a auxiliary fort established in the late second century AD as part of the Hadrian's Wall system in what is now Tyne and Wear. Originally constructed around AD 160 as a supply depot for the wall garrison, the fort served as a crucial logistics and military installation throughout the Roman occupation of Britain, particularly during the third century when it was substantially rebuilt and expanded. The site preserves substantial remains of the fort's defences, including sections of the stone wall and gateway structures, along with evidence of internal buildings, barrack blocks, and administrative facilities that reveal the fort's character as both a military stronghold and supply centre. The fort ultimately remained in use until the early fifth century, representing one of the best-preserved examples of a Roman auxiliary fort in northern Britain.
Roman fort, South Shields is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005910. View the official record →
Arbeia, the Roman fort at South Shields, is a auxiliary fort established in the late second century AD as part of the Hadrian's Wall system in what is now Tyne and Wear. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005910.
Roman fort, South Shields is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1005910.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Clifford's Fort (0.6 km), Tynemouth Iron Age and Romano-British settlements, monasteries, site of lighthouse, cross, motte, enclosure and artillery castles and later coastal defences (1.6 km), Village of Jarrow (3.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Roman fort, South Shields'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.
Roman fort, South Shields stands on Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.