Roman Caerleon

A visit to the Roman sites of Caerleon by bus from Newport

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On the outskirts of Newport in South Wales the village of Caerleon has several remains of the Roman Legionary fortress of Isca Augusta. This was one of only three permanent Legionary fortresses in the UK, the other two being at Chester and York. The name Caerleon means City of the Legions, though after the fall of the Roman Empire Caerleon did not go on to be a major city as Chester and York did and the Roman remains decayed over centuries rather than being built over.

Caerleon had a railway station but it closed and trains now pass the former station without stopping. It is possible to walk from Newport but a bit of a long way round due to crossing the river so I took a bus.

While the star attraction is the amphitheatre there is also the barracks, a bath house, a Roman garden and a museum to see in Caerleon.

Starting with the museum (on Museum Street), the National Roman Legion Museum is one of the National Museums of Wales and features displays about the site as well as finds from digs around the town. More information about the museum can be found on the Museum's website. The museum is situated close to what would have been the centre of the walled fortress complex.

Next to the museum is a reconstruction of a Roman garden featuring some of the herbs that would have been grown for medicinal purposes.

Just to the east of the museum off High Street is the Caerleon Roman Baths complex, this is managed by Cadw. The foundations of the baths complex are housed in a purpose built building. Displays are situated around the remains of the buildings and projections on to the remains explain how the bath complex worked (though this wasn't good for photography). More information can be found on Cadw's website.

The Amphitheatre is also managed by Cadw but is out in the open and is free to visit. There are little in the way of visitor facilities at the outdoor sites of the Amphitheatre or Barracks so it's good to use the facilities at the indoor sites of the museum or bath house. There is just a public toilet next to the Amphitheatre car park.

The Amphitheatre is situated on Broadway, once the main road into the fortress from the south west, it would have been located just outside the walls of the fortress next to the south west gate. More information can be found on Cadw's website.

Below - Some photos taken around the Amphitheatre.

Below - Photo on one of the information boards showing the excavation of the Amphitheatre after centuries of animals grazing on the largely buried ruins.

From the Amphitheatre a footpath leads to the Roman Barracks, also managed by Cadw. More information can be found on the Cadw website. The foundations of one of the barracks blocks survive and those of a couple more have been recreated to better demonstrate how the complex would have looked. The recreated parts are set higher than the original ruins to differentiate them.

Below - Remains of the original barracks block. Eight men would have shared a pair of rooms. The reconstructed outlines of further blocks are higher up on the right of the picture.

Below - The end of the block with the more extensive accommodation for the Centurion and his staff. The reconstructed parts can be seen on the left.

 Having visited the Roman sites around Caerleon I returned to Newport by bus.