Gariannonum Roman Fort

Gariannonum Roman Fort, located in Burgh Castle, is a Roman fort dating from around 260 to 280 A.D. It was evacuated around 407 to 408 A.D. and later served as a Saxon settlement. In the late 11th century, a Norman motte and bailey castle was built at the south-west corner, but it was completely removed in 1839. The fort is roughly quadrangular in shape, with the north, east, and south walls still standing. Excavations conducted between 1958 and 1962 revealed traces of the foundations of the west wall. The walls are constructed of coursed flint facing a concrete rubble core, with every five to six courses of flint alternating with three courses of bricks, creating a striated appearance. At the corners and the center of the shorter sides (north and south), there are solid bulbous drum bastions that extend from the walls at the base and connect to the walls at the top. Two additional bastions are symmetrically placed in the east wall, flanking the central main gateway, which now appears as a jagged hole. These bastions are likely later additions from the 4th century. The site is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, with County number 399.