Ambleside Roman Fort

Coordinates: 54°25′20″N 2°58′08″W / 54.4223°N 2.9688°W / 54.4223; -2.9688

Ambleside Roman Fort
Ambleside Roman Fort shown within Cumbria
Known also as	Galava
Place in the Roman world
Province	Britannia
Nearby water	Lake Windermere
Location
Coordinates	54°25′20″N 2°58′08″W / 54.4223°N 2.9688°W / 54.4223; -2.9688
Place name	Waterhead
Town	Ambleside
County	Cumbria
Country	England
Reference
UK-OSNG reference	NY372034
Site notes
Archaeologists	R. G. Collingwood, F. Haverfield, R. H. Leech
Media related to Ambleside Roman Fort at Wikimedia Commons

Plan of Ambleside fort, published in 1915. I. Granaries; II. Headquarters; III. Commandant's House; A. Cellar; B. Hearth or Kiln; C. Deposit of corn; D. Ditch perhaps belonging to earliest fort; E. Outer Court of Headquarters; F. Inner Court

Ambleside Roman Fort is the modern name given to the remains of a fort of the Roman province of Britannia. The ruins have been tentatively identified as those of Galava or Clanoventa.^[1] Dating to the 1st or 2nd century AD,^[2] its ruins are located on the northern shore of Windermere at Waterhead, near Ambleside,^[3] in the English county of Cumbria,^[4] within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park.^[3]

It guarded the Roman road from Brougham to Ravenglass. There is also assumed to have been a road south to the fort at Kendal. The ruins are a grade I listed structure.^[5] The site is open to the public, and is owned and managed by the National Trust.^[6]

Site history

The earliest, smller, version of the fort was probably founded around the time of Agricola (AD 80–5), and it was occupied until at least AD 365. Early investigators suggested that it may have been abandoned after AD 85, and reoccupied in time of Hadrian (AD 117-138).^[7] However, more recent analysis of recovered ceramics from outside the fort showed no evidence of a break in occupation between 100 and 160 AD.^[8] Excavations of the towers indicate that it was destroyed once or twice in the 2nd or 3rd centuries, but the evidence unclear.^[7]

Excavation history

The remains of the fort were excavated in the first decades of the 20th century. This included investigations of the gates, ramparts, and towers, the principal structures in the centre of the fort, and the barracks.^[9] During these excavations, the remains of an earlier version of the fort were discovered near the central buildings; these included ditches and walls. The earlier version of the fort appeared to be smaller than the later version.^[9]

Excavations of the extensive Romano-British settlement outside the fort were undertaken in the 1960s and 1970s, with further investigations undertaken in the 1980s.^[10] A [[Geophysical survey (archaeology)|geophysical survey was undertaken in 2013 by Oxford Archaeology North.^[11]

Site description

The fort consisted of a rectangular enclosure measuring approximately 91 by 128 metres (300 by 420 ft), and covering an area of almost 1.2 hectares (3 acres).^[9] The fort had towers at each corner,^[12] and was enclosed by a 1.2-metre (4 ft) thick wall of roughly coursed stone. A clay ramp backed the wall from the inside, and a ditch ran around the outside.^[13]

Access to the fort was given by four gates,^[12] one on each side.^[9] Three of these gates were narrow single-width entry points, while the east gate was double-width and flanked by guard posts.^[12]

The principal buildings were laid out in a row across the centre of the the fort's interior.^[12]

The barracks were at least partially built from wood.^[9]

Building I consisted of a pair of granaries, separated by a 15-foot (4.6 m) wide space that once contained ovens. The presence of the ovens and remains of cereal indicate that this area was probably used for drying grain. It is unbknown whether this area was roofed.^[12] The granaries themselves each measured 20 metres (66 ft) long (east-west) and were of a standard Roman plan, with external buttressing and with windows for ventilation.^[12] The granaries were rebuilt on at least one occasion.^[7]

Building II was the Principia or Praetorium, and was very similar to the example at Hardknott, some 16 kilometres (10 mi) to the west. It measured 21 by 23 metres (68 by 76 ft). The building was entered from the east, and had two courtyards, and three offices that faced onto the inner of these. The central office was the sacellum, and was used store the altars and standards of the garrison. It contained a 1.8-metre (6 ft) square cellar accessed by a stone stairway; this probably was used as a strong-room for regimental funds. It was likely to have been vaulted with wood, rather than stone as at other sites. In the northern office, remains of a grain bin were excavated, identified from woodwork and cereal remains. The inner courtyard contained a detached building on the north side, and the whole courtyard may have been roofed. The remains of a hearth or oven were found within the colonnade around the outer courtyard.^[12]

Building III was the commander's house.^[12] The building had two storeys,^[7] and measured 21 by 24 metres (70 by 80 ft). It conformed to a standard plan of rooms arranged around a cloister that enclosed a small courtyard.^[12]

Associated finds

A tombstone found at Ambleside bore an inscription that translates as "killed within the fort by the enemy", indicating that at some point the fort was attacked, but that Roman control of the area continued.^[14]

Finds from the early 20th century excavations included some coins of coins of Faustina Iunior (161-175), Iulia Domna (193-217), and Valens (364-378). Ceramic finds included Samian ware dated to approximately AD 80 and later; this included a few examples of German Samian ware. Other finds included a silver spoon, pieces of glass, a number of bronze and iron artefacts, a lead basin, and seven lead sling-bullets.^[7]

During investigations associated with a road-building project in 1982, a bracelet of twisted gold wire was recovered from contractors' spoil near the fort.^[15] A variety of ceramic fragments were recovered, with the majority dating to the Hadrianic and early Antonine periods.^[8]

Access

The site is open to the public. Finds are on display at Kendal Museum.

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ambleside Roman Fort.

• VisitCumbria.com - Galava Roman Fort

Part of a series on the Military of ancient Rome 753 BC – AD 476 Structural history Army Unit types and ranks Legions Auxiliaries Generals Navy Fleets Admirals Campaign history Wars Battles Decorations and punishments Technological history Military engineering Castra Siege engines Triumphal arches Roads Strategy and tactics Infantry tactics Frontiers and fortifications Limes Hadrian's Wall Military of ancient Rome portal