More information : (NZ 2093 3132) VINOVIA ROMAN FORT (R)
Vinovia Roman fort at Binchester founded in the Flavian period as a cavalry station was excavated by Hooppell (1878-80) (2), Steer (1937) (3) and Dobson and Jarrett (1955) (5). The Flavian period is represented by a clay rampart with at least one surrounding ditch which appears to have enclosed about nine and a half acres, although the northwest and southwest sides have been greatly destroyed by landslips. In this period a civil settlement grew up utside the fort (NZ 23 SW 23). At a later, uncertain date, a stone wall was added to the clay rampart leaving the area of the fort unchanged. On the northeast side this wall was dated to the 3rd century but no evidence of earlier eorganisation of defences under Trajan or Hadrian was proven. In the 3rd century the ala Vettonum was in garrison at Binchester although internal features of this period have not yet been discovered. Occupation of the site certainly survived into the late 4th century.
The excavations in 1955 revealed a ballista-platform, datable to circa 260-320, on the inner face of the southeast wall of the Fort.
(4-5)
Part of the defences and internal buildings of the fort and two sides and the rounded angle of a new enclosure on the east side, were seen on photographs. At least one building was visible within this enclosure, which may be either an annex or new fort. Its relation to the east side of the fort suggests the latter.
(6)
Visible on air photographs. (7)
The remains of the fort consist of well defined ramparts with a maximum height of 3.5m, and a fairly well defined ditch around the eastern corner where is it 1.0m deep. In other places only vague traces remain. A slight agger 7.0m wide and 0.3m high from NZ 2096 3134 to NZ 2106 3127 probably represents the remains of the principal street. The agger continues to the southeast in the form of a lynchet bank. (8)
Surveyed. (9)
Fort visible in air photographs.
Name 'VINOVIA' accepted for 4th edition map of Roman Britain. (10)
A water-pipe trench was cut across the fort in 1977. The fort rampart on the south-east side had a substantial stone wall set in clay. Several fort buildings and the line of the via praetoria, 3m wide, were recorded. (11)
1:2500 survey of the NE corner of the fort revised. (12)
The archaeological history of Binchester fort has been summarised by Ferris and Jones, who excavated there between 1976 and 1979 (13), and in 1980 (14).
The fort, centred at NZ 2094 3133, was surveyed at 1:1000 in 1983 by RCHME. The fort is situated at about 95m OD in almost level pasture on the crest of steep tree-covered slopes that overlook the River Wear from the north and north-east. The buildings of Binchester Hall Farm and Hotel occupy most of the west quadrant; the west angle has presumably eroded away and its likely position is cut by the modern road. Cultivation has obscured the south angle and reduced the earthworks elsewhere. All that remains of the defences is the north-east half, where the rampart survives mainly as an outward-facing scarp, up to 3.3m above the bottom of the ditch; this is best seen in the south-east, where its ploughed down outer scarp is 0.8m high. A small portion of the interior, including the late fourth century
baths of the commandant's house, excavated in the late 1970s, has been left on display.
(15)
The fort was revisited by RCHME in 1991 and found to be unchanged since the survey of 1983. (16)
Further excavation was undertaken in the vicinity of the hotel in the winter of 1990-1 by the N.E. Archaeological Unit. (17)
The site described by authorities 1-17 has been mapped for the Durham Magnesian Limestone Durham NMP project and is centred at NZ 2094 3133. The northern side of the fort is masked by trees on air photographs. The fort's eastern and southern ditch are visible as earthworks, defining a substantial platform, centred at NZ 2100 3134. These ditch is interupted by a modern trackway on the eastern side and by the entrance to Dere Street Roman road on the southern side (NZ 23 SW 80). Within the fort the foundations of the commandants bathhouse have been partly excavated and are visible as structures these are centred at NZ 2098 3130. Along the southern ditch is a building foundation (NZ 2100 3124) and a wall running parallel to the fort ditch. Also to the south, outside the fort, are further building foundations, seen as parchmarks, that relate to the vicus (see NZ 23 SW 23).
(18)
Scheduled. For the online designated record please see the National Heritage List for England. (19-20)
The Roman fort guarded the point where Dere Street, the main Roman road running from York to Corbridge, crossed the river. The site covered an area of 4 - 4.5 ha and there are remains of a large associated civil settlement (vicus).
The Roman military occupation of the site began in the early Flavian period and continued throughout the Roman period. Occupation continued into the fifth and sixth centuries and burials suggest settlement nearby down to the eleventh century.
Most of the fort site is under pasture apart from the well-preserved remains of the commanding officer's baths-suite which are on display. Parts of the south-eastern ramparts of the fort survive as earthworks, however landslips have destroyed large parts of the south west side and part of the vicus. Binchester Hall and Binchester Hall Farm are located on the north edge of the fort.
Well preserved remains of late Roman/ sub-Roman stratigraphy have been found through excavation. The extensive remains of the vicus have been identified through geophysical survey to the east the fort as well as either side of Dere Street to the north-west and south-east.
The project has a website including Blog which follows the excavations carried out on the camp. (21)
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