The fort had a strong stone wall with an earth rampart behind it, forming a square with sides about 175m long. There were towers at the corners and at gates in the middle of each side. The foundations of a small square guard room still remain, which formed the ground floor of one of the south gate's two towers and stretching away from it is the south wall.
There were two deep V-shaped ditches outside the wall. An attacker crossing them would have been exposed to a hail of missiles from soldiers on the fort wall and towers. Part of the inner ditch still remains, but the other lies buried under the modern road.
The fort had a garrison of between 500 and 1,000 men who fought against Rome's enemies on land and at sea. By the 4th century, their main opponents were Anglo-Saxons from north-west Europe. These raiders came silently in fast ships to plunder local settlements.
Disclaimer
The text and pictures on this page are derived from the 'Heritage Unlocked' series of guidebooks published in 2004. We intend to review, update and enhance the content in the near future as part of the Portico project, whose objective is to provide information on the history, significance, research background and sources for all English Heritage properties.
