In celebration of the 1900th anniversary of the start of construction of Hadrian’s Wall, English Heritage has opened a new exhibition at Chesters Roman Fort. People have travelled from all over the world to see the wall and many returned home with a special reminder of their visit. From modern souvenirs to ancient keepsakes, the exhibition will document the landmark’s long history as a tourist attraction.

Cast with the names of forts along the Wall, the Rudge cup dates back to around 130 AD, making it one of Hadrian Wall’s earliest souvenirs. The cup will be on display alongside the Amiens Patera, found in a Roman house in Amiens, France, this is the furthest travelled of the three known souvenir cups from Hadrian’s Wall. Other highlights inclue a large replica bust of Hadrian, and a tin – recently acquired by English Heritage – filled with scavenged fragments that, according to a handwritten note attached to its lid, were discovered on a visit to Chesters in 1891.

Frances McIntosh, English Heritage Curator at Hadrian’s Wall, said: "The idea of collecting objects as a way of safekeeping memories is extremely old. In the second century visitors went to the trouble of commissioning their own souvenirs, as was the case with two of the cups on display in this exhibition.

"We wanted to show how souvenirs have changed and, perhaps more importantly, how they haven’t. Some souvenirs can be wacky, or even tacky, whilst some are beautiful works of art, but all of them carry memories of a visit, and that is what makes them important to their owners, whether modern or Roman."