Chesters (Roman Cilurnum) is a cavalry fort on Hadrian's Wall, straddling the line of the curtain where it crosses the North Tyne, built c. AD 124 shortly after the Wall's commencement. Roughly 2.3 hectares in extent, it was designed for an ala (cavalry regiment) and was garrisoned into the late 4th century, most famously by the ala II Asturum from the 2nd or 3rd century onwards. The fort was accompanied by an extramural civil settlement (vicus) and was linked to the east bank of the river by a substantial masonry bridge, of which two successive abutments survive.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
As one of the principal cavalry stations on the Wall, Cilurnum controlled the strategically vital North Tyne crossing and anchored a long stretch of the frontier between Chesters and Carrawburgh. The bridge abutment—particularly the Hadrianic and Severan phases—is among the best-preserved examples of Roman military civil engineering in Britain.
Excavated extensively in the 19th century by John Clayton, who preserved the site and amassed the collection now in the on-site Clayton Museum, the visible remains include the headquarters building (principia) with its strongroom, the commanding officer's house, barracks, the four main gates, and an exceptionally well-preserved military
Chesters (Roman Cilurnum) is a cavalry fort on Hadrian's Wall, straddling the line of the curtain where it crosses the North Tyne, built c. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
The Roman fort, vicus, bridge abutments and associated remains of Hadrian's Wall at Chesters in wall mile 27 is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Cilurnum (0.3 km), Turret 27A (0.3 km), Baths of Cilurnum (0.3 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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Research the area around The Roman fort, vicus, bridge abutments and associated remains of Hadrian's Wall at Chesters in wall mile 27