Roman Vindolanda and Roman Army Museum, Northumberland
Peter Lewis and his grandchildren are delighted by the Vindolanda Trust's improvement of the visitor experience at two Roman sites on Hadrian's Wall
Roman Army Museum
Hadrian’s Wall is nearly 2,000 years old. It has always attracted antiquarian interest, though not necessarily a mass of visitors. But in the past few years the telling of British Roman history has undergone a resurgence.
Expansive museum galleries have flowered at either end of the wall – at the Great North Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne and Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery in Carlisle. Interpretive displays in the numerous other locations are being sharpened, not least at Housesteads, which is managed by English Heritage.
The Vindolanda Trust operates two sites, Roman Vindolanda and the Carvoran Roman Fort. Both predate the wall, owing their origins to Agricola rather than Hadrian.
They were originally short-lived timber forts, guarding the Stanegate and providing a supply base for the legionary builders. At Vindolanda archaeologists have traced at least 10 further stone built forts.
The wider academic world first knew of Vindolanda in 1586 when William Camden, the historian and topographer, recorded his findings. Just how rich the site would prove remained unknown until the archaeologist Eric Birley gained limited access in the 1930s.
From 1970, three generations of that family have masterminded the independent charity whose remit is to “excavate, conserve, research and educate”.
Grants of £4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £1.85m from the now defunct One North East regional development agency made up the bulk of the £6.3m cost of its recent developments.
Vindolanda has always been a somewhat austere member of museum/gallery/heritage family in the north-east; friendly but distant. Has the injection of major funding changed its behaviour?
The language and tone of the marketing is certainly different. “Two unmissable tourist attractions – one unforgettable day out – preserving history for all – pride, passion and drama – at the edge of the empire – there are no other places on earth where it is possible to experience Roman Britain.” There is certainly no lack of confidence. But has anything been lost?
I went to find out accompanied by my grandchildren, Niamh aged 12 and Finn aged 10. They have been visiting Northumberland all their lives and Hadrian’s Wall has always impressed them. Chesters, Birdoswald, Housesteads, Arbeia, Brocolitia, Segedunum, Vindolanda and others – they’ve been there, exercised with the militia and tasted the cuisine.
The one location that remained unvisited for all of us was the Roman Army Museum at the Carvoran Roman Fort. The opening of the new schoolroom, the final piece of the development jigsaw, was an ideal opportunity to see what they, as potential users, made of it and the two sites.
We descended first on the Roman Army Museum, where the new galleries aim to give an authentic idea of life on a frontier posting at the edge of the Roman empire.
They were amazed by the large number of real artefacts, by the splendour of the life-size replicas and especially by the Pepper’s Ghost recruitment film, which they insisted on seeing twice, so gripping were the joining requirements. They were impressed by the long three-dimensional mural depicting the actual building of the wall.
They were less complimentary about the Hadrian Gallery (white lettering on a white wall and a dreary voiceover) and were frustrated by the Roman Britain map room, where they felt that the key to the symbols was too far from the map itself.
We all were eager to see the Eagle’s Eye 3D film, a 20-minute-long aerial journey with virtual reconstructions.
The children’s reactions, both favourable, were very different. One preferred the documentary aspects, the topography and facts; the other enjoyed the story of Aquila the young recruit. But both agreed it was the best museum film they’d ever seen. I had thought the whole 3D experience might be vulgar, but was proved wrong.
The classroom was our next exercise. Last year a costumed live interpreter would have played the role of the teacher. This year he has been replaced by a full-sized hologram projected on to a cut-out glass torso. Writing and graphics, synchronised with the words of Velius Longus, appear on a magic blackboard.
“All very clever, but you can’t ask a question, can you?” said one of the children. The third and final gallery gives visitors the chance to fire the bow of a Syrian archer and to follow eight soldiers through their daily routines.
Roman Vindolanda
As we moved on to Vindolanda itself, we asked the children what they had learned. The list was long and detailed. It included the news that British recruits were not allowed to serve in Britain, that the wall was not a barrier, but a permeable feature to control civil movements; that the troops served at widely different locations and could be executed for cowardice; that they ate and drank well; and that the forts were surrounded by trading entrepreneurs; that if the soldiers had lice, there were baths, soaps and towels; and that there was a medical service and a hospital.
Was there anything they would change in the museum? Yes, the sound levels were too loud, and the statistical information about the numbers and ranks of each unit was far too fast to really take in. But they did not want to carp because it was all so good.
At Vindolanda, which they’ve visited many times before, they liked the new orientation centre and the site panels. The new access paths were welcomed, especially as they don’t diminish the awesome view of the archaeological site.
It was a shame that we were too early in the season to see the digs in progress, but they were intrigued by the new galleries. To them, it was amazing that the textiles, shoes, jewellery, coins, weapons and other material had all been excavated on site.
The head of the Vindolanda excavations, director Robin Birley, originally thought that digging would take 20 years at the site. Now, more than 40 years on, there is still a century or more of exploration to complete. The children spent a long time looking at the Vindolanda writing tablets, some of which have recently been returned from the British Museum in London.
The children pointed out that in every school year of their life they had “done” a Roman project, and said that most teaching material gives the impression that the occupation of Britain had been accomplished by cartoon characters with Latinate names. Here in Northumberland, they said, they had first experienced something of the reality of military rule and of being ruled.
They also went out of their way to praise all the staff at both sites, not just for their kindness, but for treating them and referring to them to their faces and in print as children or young people. Certain museums and pressure groups, please note.
Peter Lewis is a writer and a past director of Beamish
Hadrian’s Wall is nearly 2,000 years old. It has always attracted antiquarian interest, though not necessarily a mass of visitors. But in the past few years the telling of British Roman history has undergone a resurgence.
Expansive museum galleries have flowered at either end of the wall – at the Great North Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne and Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery in Carlisle. Interpretive displays in the numerous other locations are being sharpened, not least at Housesteads, which is managed by English Heritage.
The Vindolanda Trust operates two sites, Roman Vindolanda and the Carvoran Roman Fort. Both predate the wall, owing their origins to Agricola rather than Hadrian.
They were originally short-lived timber forts, guarding the Stanegate and providing a supply base for the legionary builders. At Vindolanda archaeologists have traced at least 10 further stone built forts.
The wider academic world first knew of Vindolanda in 1586 when William Camden, the historian and topographer, recorded his findings. Just how rich the site would prove remained unknown until the archaeologist Eric Birley gained limited access in the 1930s.
From 1970, three generations of that family have masterminded the independent charity whose remit is to “excavate, conserve, research and educate”.
Grants of £4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £1.85m from the now defunct One North East regional development agency made up the bulk of the £6.3m cost of its recent developments.
Vindolanda has always been a somewhat austere member of museum/gallery/heritage family in the north-east; friendly but distant. Has the injection of major funding changed its behaviour?
The language and tone of the marketing is certainly different. “Two unmissable tourist attractions – one unforgettable day out – preserving history for all – pride, passion and drama – at the edge of the empire – there are no other places on earth where it is possible to experience Roman Britain.” There is certainly no lack of confidence. But has anything been lost?
I went to find out accompanied by my grandchildren, Niamh aged 12 and Finn aged 10. They have been visiting Northumberland all their lives and Hadrian’s Wall has always impressed them. Chesters, Birdoswald, Housesteads, Arbeia, Brocolitia, Segedunum, Vindolanda and others – they’ve been there, exercised with the militia and tasted the cuisine.
The one location that remained unvisited for all of us was the Roman Army Museum at the Carvoran Roman Fort. The opening of the new schoolroom, the final piece of the development jigsaw, was an ideal opportunity to see what they, as potential users, made of it and the two sites.
We descended first on the Roman Army Museum, where the new galleries aim to give an authentic idea of life on a frontier posting at the edge of the Roman empire.
They were amazed by the large number of real artefacts, by the splendour of the life-size replicas and especially by the Pepper’s Ghost recruitment film, which they insisted on seeing twice, so gripping were the joining requirements. They were impressed by the long three-dimensional mural depicting the actual building of the wall.
They were less complimentary about the Hadrian Gallery (white lettering on a white wall and a dreary voiceover) and were frustrated by the Roman Britain map room, where they felt that the key to the symbols was too far from the map itself.
We all were eager to see the Eagle’s Eye 3D film, a 20-minute-long aerial journey with virtual reconstructions.
The children’s reactions, both favourable, were very different. One preferred the documentary aspects, the topography and facts; the other enjoyed the story of Aquila the young recruit. But both agreed it was the best museum film they’d ever seen. I had thought the whole 3D experience might be vulgar, but was proved wrong.
The classroom was our next exercise. Last year a costumed live interpreter would have played the role of the teacher. This year he has been replaced by a full-sized hologram projected on to a cut-out glass torso. Writing and graphics, synchronised with the words of Velius Longus, appear on a magic blackboard.
“All very clever, but you can’t ask a question, can you?” said one of the children. The third and final gallery gives visitors the chance to fire the bow of a Syrian archer and to follow eight soldiers through their daily routines.
Roman Vindolanda
As we moved on to Vindolanda itself, we asked the children what they had learned. The list was long and detailed. It included the news that British recruits were not allowed to serve in Britain, that the wall was not a barrier, but a permeable feature to control civil movements; that the troops served at widely different locations and could be executed for cowardice; that they ate and drank well; and that the forts were surrounded by trading entrepreneurs; that if the soldiers had lice, there were baths, soaps and towels; and that there was a medical service and a hospital.
Was there anything they would change in the museum? Yes, the sound levels were too loud, and the statistical information about the numbers and ranks of each unit was far too fast to really take in. But they did not want to carp because it was all so good.
At Vindolanda, which they’ve visited many times before, they liked the new orientation centre and the site panels. The new access paths were welcomed, especially as they don’t diminish the awesome view of the archaeological site.
It was a shame that we were too early in the season to see the digs in progress, but they were intrigued by the new galleries. To them, it was amazing that the textiles, shoes, jewellery, coins, weapons and other material had all been excavated on site.
The head of the Vindolanda excavations, director Robin Birley, originally thought that digging would take 20 years at the site. Now, more than 40 years on, there is still a century or more of exploration to complete. The children spent a long time looking at the Vindolanda writing tablets, some of which have recently been returned from the British Museum in London.
The children pointed out that in every school year of their life they had “done” a Roman project, and said that most teaching material gives the impression that the occupation of Britain had been accomplished by cartoon characters with Latinate names. Here in Northumberland, they said, they had first experienced something of the reality of military rule and of being ruled.
They also went out of their way to praise all the staff at both sites, not just for their kindness, but for treating them and referring to them to their faces and in print as children or young people. Certain museums and pressure groups, please note.
Peter Lewis is a writer and a past director of Beamish
Project data
- Cost £6.3m
- Main funder Heritage Lottery Fund £4m; One North East £1.85m
- Architect Andrew Hamilton Associates
- Main contractor Border Construction
- Interpretation Studio MB
- 3D film production Dene Films