Get tickets here for an amazing historic day out at Housesteads Roman Fort – Hadrian's Wall

Lying midway along Hadrian’s Wall, Housesteads is the most complete example of a Roman fort in Britain, and one of the best-known from the entire Roman Empire.

It was built within a decade of AD 122, when work on the Wall began, and was garrisoned by an 800-strong infantry regiment until the end of the 4th century. Excavations have revealed major buildings, defences and the civilian settlement outside its walls.

Highlights of your Hadrian's Wall trip

• Set high on a dramatic escarpment on Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, Housesteads Roman Fort takes you back to the Roman Empire.
• Wander the barrack blocks and the hospital.
• Peer into the oldest toilets you'll ever see.
• Admire the stunning panoramic views from this ancient fortress.

History of Housesteads

Housesteads was a large fort covering 2.2 hectares, garrisoned by auxiliaries – infantry and cavalry raised from the conquered peoples of the empire.

It was intended from the outset to hold an infantry regiment of 800 men, known as a milliary cohort. The cohors I Tungrorum (‘first cohort of Tungrians’) is known to have garrisoned the site from the late 2nd to the 4th centuries AD.

This unit of auxiliaries was originally recruited from German-speaking tribes in the district of Tongres, in modern Belgium.

The unit had earlier been stationed at the nearby fort of Vindolanda, south-west of Housesteads: a tombstone from there records the death in battle of a legionary centurion commanding the regiment, probably early in Hadrian’s reign (AD 117–38).[3] The date of the unit’s move to the Wall at Housesteads is not known for certain.

Don't miss out on a great history day out, get your tickets now and have them delivered instantly via email and SMS!