Wales - South Wales

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NATIONAL ROMAN LEGION MUSEUM

High Street, Caerleon, Newport,
Gwent
NP18 1AE
t: 0300111 2 333
f: 0300 111 2444
e: post@museumwales.ac.uk
w: www.museumwales.ac.uk

Wales was the Roman Empire's furthest outpost. The National Roman Legion Museum lies within the ruins of a Roman fortress which offer the only remains of a Roman Legionary barracks on view anywhere in Europe and the most complete amphitheatre in Britain. The Museum has been displaying a rich collection of Roman finds for over 150 years.


 Museum Highlights

Study the oldest recorded piece of writing in Wales, inscribed in ink on a wooden tablet. This 1st century artefact, found in a well on the Museum site, tells of guards sent to fetch the pay and parties collecting building-timber.

The Museum boasts one of the largest gemstone collections found anywhere in the Roman Empire. These precious, intricately carved gems were discovered beneath the fortress baths remains, lost by bathers between AD 80 and AD 230.

Peer into the amazing contents of the Bathstone Coffin to find the bones of a 2nd/early 3rd century man; images of his reconstructed face and a portrait are also on show.

The reconstructed Barrack Room shows what the fortress barrack blocks might have looked like inside, giving a sense of the living conditions for the Roman soldiers.

View everyday objects such as Roman cooking pots or find other treasures like children’s milk teeth and a silver coin hoard.

The Romans introduced formal gardens to Britain and visitors can enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the museum’s Roman Garden.


Essential Group Visit Info:

  • FREE ENTRY
  • Open all year, Mondays-Saturdays 10am-5pm, Sundays 2pm-5pm
  • Admission free of charge
  • Coach drop off point approx. 50m from entrance. A number of coach parking spaces are available within a 5 minute walk.
  • Wheelchair access throughout museum.
  • Entry to the Barrack Room may not be possible during school term time
  • Ideally, allow 1 hour for your visit, but longer if the group also visits the Roman Baths and       amphitheatre nearby (5 minute walk away).
  • 10% discount for pre-booked group visitors in the museum shop
  • The National Roman Legion Museum is located in the centre of Caerleon, just 10 minutes from junction 24 of the M4 motorway. It is also within 30 minutes’ drive of Big Pit National Coal Museum, so it’s easy to visit both museums in one day.