With its well-preserved defences, Birdoswald ** fort is the stand-out site on the western section of Hadrian's Wall. Recent excavations have shown how the fort and its associated civilian settlement evolved and grew during the Roman era, which saw the Wall itself develop from an early turf barrier to the now familiar stone structure. Evidence has also been found of the site's occupation after the end of Roman rule in Britain, casting light on how the former frontier moved into the 5th century.
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| Birdoswald Fort - east gate |
Background and Context
Even before the building of Hadrian's Wall started (around 122 CE), Birdoswald's strategic significance had been recognised by the Romans. The site occupies high ground to the north of the River Irthing, and is well-placed to command the river crossing - in common with many other fort sites in Roman Britain (see Binchester in County Durham or Brecon Y Gaer in South Wales). Remains have been found of a tower used for signalling to the Stanegate, the road from Carlisle to Corbridge marking the earlier frontier, which ran south of the river.
The Wall's construction wasn't a straightforward process, with plans changing as time went on. (Think of it as the HS2 of its day). Although it was mostly built in stone from the start, the section west of the River Irthing crossing (just east of Birdoswald) was initially a turf wall with a ditch on its northern side and a small timber turret (49a) where the fort sits now. This fitted in with the original scheme of small fortlets built at intervals of one (Roman) mile (milecastles) with two turrets sited in-between. We still use the numbering system introduced by early archaeologists: the turret at Birdoswald was one of two between milecastle 49 at Harrow's Scar (still extant, and easily walkable from the fort - see later).
Around 125 CE the decision was taken to build forts on the Wall itself, no doubt to the consternation of the troops where previously-built stone turrets had to be demolished (as at Housesteads). The first fort at Birdoswald was built from turf and timber, although its exact dimensions aren't known. After 130 CE this was replaced by a stone fort on the footprint that now see. Initially, part of the fort protruded north of the Turf Wall. However, when this was rebuilt in stone around 138 CE its line was moved north to link with the fort's northern defences - so the entire fort finished up to the south of the Wall. The area around Birdoswald is is the only part of Hadrian's Wall where the stone wall followed a different line to its turf predecessor (again, see later).
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| Hadrian's Wall east of Birdoswald fort |
Activity at Birdoswald seems to have picked up in the early 3rd century CE. Rebuilding took place and an inscription records that the fort was garrisoned by an infantry regiment from Dacia (now Romania). At the same time, a substantial civil settlement (vicus) grew up on both east and west sides of the fort. Birdoswald's north gate marked the start of a Roman road heading north to an outpost fort at Bewcastle - which still has an outpost feel if you take a drive up there. Excavations at Birdoswald have found traces of buildings, possibly civilian, outside the fort's north wall (and therefore Hadrian's Wall) suggesting that this boundary was not as absolute as often thought. A better model for the Wall might be that of a frontier zone, rather than a finite edge to the Roman world.
Excavations have also shed some light on the shadowy period after the end of formal Roman rule in Britain (around 410 CE). Some Roman sites, such as Wroxeter town and Chedworth villa, show signs of occupation well into the 5th century, and the same goes for Birdoswald. Traces of timber buildings, not unlike the warrior halls of what we used to call the Dark Ages, have been found in the vicinity of the fort's granaries. With no obvious break in the site's occupation, this looks like a direct successor to the Roman fort, probably benefitting from its surviving defences.
Although some troops were moved from Britain in the late 4th and early 5th centuries CE to support various (unsuccessful) challengers to the Imperial throne, it is likely that many units guarding Hadrian's Wall remained in place. There had been an earlier reorganisation of Roman forces under Constantine the Great (306-337 CE), separating border forces (limitanei) from mobile regiments (comitatenses). Soldiers were now recruited locally, with sons forced to follow their father into military service. So when Britain ceased to be part of the Empire, it is probable that the garrisons of the forts on Hadrian's Wall simply had nowhere else to go.
Birdoswald fort was eventually abandoned, but the site was reoccupied in the 11th century when a tower house and then a bastle-house (a defended farmhouse) were built here. Their foundations can still be seen. A farm was established in later years, which lasted until the 1980s (and was still active when I first visited the site); the farmyard buildings now contain the fort's visitor centre, shop and cafe.
Location and Access
Birdoswald fort (Google Maps location here) lies on a minor road south of the B6318, some 3km west of the village of Gilsland, which is the easiest approach from the east. From the west the site is reached along minor roads from Brampton, past Lanercost Priory - which is also worth a visit and contains much recycled Roman masonry. This route also takes you past several sections of Hadrian's Wall, including Piper Sike turret (below). Both approaches to Birdoswald are signed.
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| Hadrian's Wall west of Birdoswald fort - Piper Sike Turret (51b) |
Birdoswald is also served by a bus service (the HW1) running from Carlisle to the Roman Army Museum at Carvoran. Visitors using the bus currently get a discount on the walk-up admission charge. The Hadrian's Wall long distance footpath runs past the site.
The fort, which has a visitor centre, shop, café and toilets, is managed by English Heritage. Prices, opening times and other details are here. There is a payable car park some 200 metres away (free for English Heritage members), with disabled parking nearer to the site. There are useful information boards dotted around the site.
Date of Visit
The photographs in this post are mostly from 2026. Access information is correct as of that date.
A Tour of Birdoswald Fort
The path from the car park leads up to Hadrian's Wall, which can be seen stretching away to east towards Harrow's Scar milecastle (see earlier photo). As you turn right to approach Birdoswald fort, the line of the Wall lies under the modern road. Look left and you can see the east fort wall running under the trees with an interval tower beyond (below)
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| Birdoswald fort - east wall looking south |
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| Birdoswald fort - interval tower in east wall |
Straight ahead (just past the modern site entrance) the fort's north-western corner (with angle tower) can be seen between the road and the former farm buildings (below).
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| Birdoswald fort - north-western corner and angle tower |
The main entrance to the fort is through the old farmyard. On leaving the visitor centre and ticket office you emerge opposite the site of the 5th century hall, its post holes marked by modern timbers (below).
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| Birdoswald fort - modern posts marking the site of the 5th century wooden hall |
Behind this lie the foundations of granaries (horrea) from the early 3rd century (below). The south granary (on the right in the photo below) had its floor raised in the mid 4th century - for purposes unknown - with the usual underfloor ventilation space being filled in.
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| Birdoswald fort - granaries |
It's now time to look at the fort's defences, the nearest of which are the remains of the main west gate (below).
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| Birdoswald fort - main west gate |
The west gate would have had two arches, the southern-most of which was blocked up in the middle of the 3rd century (below). The old Turf Wall would have joined the fort just to the south of the main west and east gates, so these would originally have accessed land on the north side of the Wall. Subsidiary gates in the east and west walls would have accessed land to the south, although their necessity would have ceased when the Wall was realigned (and rebuilt in stone) to link with the fort's north wall.
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| Birdoswald fort - main west gate showing the blocked southern archway. |
From here it is possible to follow the fort walls in an anticlockwise direction (the only missing section is the north wall). First you come to the subsidiary west gate (below), which only had a single opening.
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| Birdoswald fort - subsidiary west gate. |
Follow the defences up the slope to the fort's south-west corner, which is a good viewpoint over the site as a whole (below). The foundations of the medieval tower and bastle-house lie in front of the (later) tower-like farmhouse.
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| Birdoswald fort - view north from the fort's south-west corner |
Carrying on around the circuit we reach the south gate (below), which was built with the same pattern as the main west gate.
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| Birdoswald fort - south gate |
Continuing past the fort's south-east corner, where the angle tower is visible, the east wall comes into view (below).
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| Birdoswald fort - east wall looking north |
The main east gate (below) is the best preserved of the fort's entrances. A number of detailed features remain, including the base arch-stone on the north-eastern pier and the original stone thresholds with pivot holes for the wooden gates. Like the west gate, one of the archways was later blocked with a stone wall. The adjacent guard chambers are also well-preserved.
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| Birdoswald fort - east gate |
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| Birdoswald fort - east gate - pivot hole in threshold |
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| Birdoswald fort - east gate - southern guard chamber |
From the east gate a path leads back to the visitor centre. This contains a small exhibition and a number of finds, the most significant of which is the Altar to Silvanus (below). Although the subject, a hunting deity, is not unusual (it appears at many sites in Roman Britain such as Chedworth villa), what makes the inscription important is that it includes Birdoswald's Roman name (Banna). When I first visited here, the site was known as Camboglanna, but this name has now been reassigned to the next fort to the west (Castlesteads). See Breeze and Dobson for more on the naming of the Wall forts (plot spoiler: it's not straightforward). The text of the inscription (with translation) is at the end of this post.
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| Birdoswald - altar to Silvanus, containing the fort's name (BANNA) |
That concludes our tour of Birdoswald. After visiting the fort, you can walk eastwards along the line of the Wall to Harrow's Scar milecastle. Although this is poorly preserved, the path continues down the slope and across the River Irthing (footbridge) where it is possible to visit the eastern abutment of the bridge that carried the Wall across the river - plus an adjoining turret.
Alternatively, a drive along the road to the west of Birdoswald follows the line of the Wall's last substantial section in the west. This includes four turrets - 49b, 51a (Piper Sike - pictured earlier), 51b (Leahill) and 52a (Banks East, where there is a small car park), as well as the earlier Pike Hill signal tower.
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| Hadrian's Wall west of Birdoswald - Banks East turret (51b) |
Several lengths of the Vallum (a ditch flanked by two turf embankments that ran south of the Wall along its full length) can also be seen from this route. At High House (below) (here) the Vallum is joined by the line of the original Turf Wall - the only place where remains of the Turf Wall are still visible (on the left - east - of the farm track). However, it is not easily made out (being a low mound around 0.4 metres high) and can be confused with the nearby earthworks of the Vallum.
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| High House - the Vallum looking west |
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| High House - Turf Wall remnant (under the sheep) |
Full Text and Translation of the Banna Inscription
(RIB1905)
DEO SANCTO
SILVANO VE-
NATORES
BANNIESS
Translation:
To the holy god Silvanus the hunters of Banna (set this up).
Further Reading
Biggins, J. Alan, Taylor, David J. A, Coxon, B., Esselmont, B., Frank, A., Hudson, C., McCloy, P., Montgomery, E. and Robinson, J. (1999) 'A survey of the Roman fort and settlement at Birdoswald, Cumbria.' Britannia 30, pp. 91-110. - link
Biggins, J. Alan, & Taylor, David J. A. (2004). 'Geophysical survey of the vicus at Birdoswald Roman fort, Cumbria.' Britannia, 35 pp. 159-178. - link
Breeze, David J. & Dobson, B (2000) Hadrian's Wall. London: Penguin Books.
Wilmott, Tony (2012) Birdoswald Roman Fort. English Heritage guidebook.
Wilmott, Tony & Haynes, Ian (2024) 'The military town and bathhouse of Birdoswald Fort on
Hadrian’s Wall.' Historic England Research 27 pp. 18-25
(See also the general References page of this blog).
Text and photographs (c) Mike Hetherington. Visits to sites described in this blog are at your own risk.
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