Great Chesters Roman Fort
Great Chesters Roman Fort is 6 miles from Housesteads to the East and 3 miles from Carvoran to the West. It is located half a mile west of the Cawfields Car Park along the Wall Path. It is smaller than most Wall forts at 3 acres. A large farm has been built in the north east corner. It measures 355ft by 419 ft. and like Housesteads faces east and is behind the Wall.
It is probably an afterthought as it was built after 128AD. It was built on the site of Milecastle 43, which had to be demolished. A road leading to the Stanegate enters the fort at the Southgate. The first garrison was the 6th Cohort of Nervii, originally from Belgium, an infantry regiment.
The Eastgate cannot be seen, but to the west of the track can be seen the Southgate.
The line of the south wall can be seen although no stone wall is visible
In the south west corner is a well preserved turret.
The Westgate is the most impressive ruin and one of the gates was soon blocked and eventually both were blocked.
Four ditches protect the western wall of the fort, but only two extend to the rest of the walls. Some of the stonework is impressive.
The vault is all that remains of the Headquarters building and can be seen at the centre of the site
South of the vault you can see the outlines of some of the barracks in the grass.
The north wall is close to the large farm to the north east and is where Milecastle 43 was built before it was demolished to build the fort.
The bathhouse is located over 100 yards south of the fort, which has been earthed over by English Heritage. The fort has been excavated many times, but not in the last fifty years. The civilian settlement has been identified south east, it has not been excavated and the location has been ploughed.
Although it cannot be seen from the site, the fort has an aqueduct extending 6 miles to the north winding along the contours of the hills and enters the fort from the North from the Caw Beck only directly 2.25 miles away with only one embankment necessary to maintain the flow of the water Benks Bridge. It was a channel 3 to 4 ft wide and the same depth. It was surveyed in 1987/88, the only part of the site to be looked at in the last 30 years.
In 1894 during excavations, a hoard of jewellery was found, dating from about 70AD to the third century and considered masterpieces of Celtic art.
Descriptions of the inscriptions found are HERE