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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Andrea Meanwell

Country diary: An unlikely job for a farmer – preserving a roman fort

A rainbow over Low Borrowbridge farm, Cumbria, and the approximate site of the underground Roman fort.
A rainbow over Low Borrowbridge farm, Cumbria, and the approximate site of the underground Roman fort. Photograph: Historic England/Peter Savin via the Missing Pieces Project

Today I am out in freezing temperatures photographing a riverbank. Mist, which we call “clag”, swirls over the higher ground and I cannot see any of our livestock that are overwintering on the hills.

The reason I’ve turned photographer may come as a surprise: on Low Borrowbridge farm we have a Roman fort and civilian settlement dating to the first and second century AD, including what is thought to be a Roman parade ground and cemetery. The remains are extensive, covering at least 12 hectares (30 acres) under the ground. Since Victorian times, there have been successive excavations, most recently in 2011-12 when a mansio (a guesthouse for people visiting the fort) was found. A geophysical survey has also located the headquarters building and the commander’s house.

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