On our recent trip to the north of England we were visiting friends in South Shields by the Tyne. We thought we would explore the area a little. After lunch we wandered through a park and saw signs to a Roman fort. We like a bit of history, but knew nothing about this and were not expecting much. We were surprised to discover a big site in the middle of some housing. This was Arbeia, which was basically a supply depot for Hadrian's Wall.
It was discovered in Victorian times, but then was mostly built over until it was cleared in the 1970s. Some of the fort is still under nearby houses. The nearest foundations were some of the many granaries with the main administration building behind that had a cellar strongroom for all the money.
There is a small museum at the entrance with some of the finds that include jewelery made from local jet and some chain mail. The guy in there was very knowledgeable.
Some parts have been rebuilt so you can really appreciate how it would have looked. This is one of the gateways that has more exhibits inside and gives a nice view of the site. According to the guy we spoke to they reckon it could have been even taller based on what has been found there and at other locations. A lot of the original stone would have been taken for other building after the Romans left. There was a fire that destroyed a lot of it near the end of the occupation.
They have also rebuilt some of the barracks and the commander's house. The former are very cramped with several soldiers sharing a couple of rooms whilst the commander lived in luxury with several slaves to look after him and his family.
They have tried to recreate the decoration as it might have been. I expect they found some evidence of paint, but we have been to Pompeii and Herculaneum where you can still see original wall paintings and that shows what the Romans liked.
I expect some people would still lust after a bedroom like this. The Romans were pretty sophisticated people who had cutting edge building skills. They had heating systems and good sanitary facilities that used running water.
There are surviving books that detail what soldiers served at each location. They would have recruited Brits, but sent them elsewhere to reduce the chance of rebellion. Arbeia means 'fort of the arabs' as troops from Mesopotamia were based there.
This was a great little discovery. It is free to enter with the option of donations. We had walked there, but I expect you could park nearby. There is a souvenir shop, but no refreshments apart from some drinks. I think they may have a cafe some of the time. See their site for opening hours and events. The day after we were there they were having some horses in to do a display.