#Alongthewallin80days - Day 9

With the Hadrian's Wall Festival just around the corner we plan on finding out a little more about Housesteads Roman Fort.

Soon after the construction of Hadrians Wall began in AD 122, Housesteads Roman Fort was built in around AD 124. The fort was built in stone but had to be repaired and rebuilt several times, its northern defences being particularly prone to collapse. A substantial civil settlement existed to the south, outside the fort, and some of the stone foundations can still be seen. A trip to Housesteads will give visitors an insight into how life was for the 800 Roman soldiers based here as they wander the remains of the barrack blocks and the commandant’s house. The fort boasts some of the oldest toilets ever seen and there's a fascinating museum too, complete with a model of how the fort looked in Roman times. Explore the story of the fort through dramatic film footage of the stunning World Heritage Site and CGI recreations of the original Roman buildings. See what it was really like to live on this hilltop fortress of Vercovicium, the Roman name for Housesteads which means 'place of the effective fighters'. With a history that goes back almost 2,000 years, it offers a unique family day out in Northumberland.