Alderney's Roman Fort, Alderney, United Kingdom

There are traces of Roman occupation including a fort, built in the late 300s AD, above the Alderneys only natural harbour. The Alderney Nunnery was probably located on the site of this one best preserved Roman forts in the British Isles.

The 26-foot tall Roman tower features 10-feet-thick walls. Built of stone and Roman concrete, many of the outer walls are still standing however only fragments remain of the tall tower that would have stood inside the walls, there is a similarity to Roman signal stations built in Yorkshire.

The British are believed to have refurbished the Roman fort in 1793, leveling off the tower walls in the process, according to Heritage Daily. When the German’s invaded the island it appears they inserted a Type 501 bunker neatly between the tower ruins, using the north and south internal walls effectively as shuttering to pour their concrete, according to Dr. Jason Monaghan, who is helping lead the excavation efforts.

The site is newly opened after a major make over. There are story boards, an information room, large WWII bunker and much, much more to explore on this amazing heritage site.

User Reviews

Ellie Gent (8 months ago)
What a lovely building, so nicely maintained and restored. Visited for an Alderney Theatre Company performance and it was just the perfect venue.

Jenny Waring (10 months ago)
Visited this site accompanied by a very knowledgeable guide from the Alderney Wildlife Trust. The site enables you to see the story of conflicts through the ages from Roman times, through the Tudor and Elizabethan ages to the more recent fortifications of the first and second world wars. In addition, the site is positioned on the amazing Alderney coastline, within a nature reserve and provides a great starting point for exploration of both the local wildlife and other fortifications around the area.

Adrian Barwick (2 years ago)
Really ? really Interesting place to visits one of the oldest places of a Roman fort on Alderney island and they have finally got it all done out with artifacts n history documentation of when it was occupied by the Romans and when the nazis occupied the fort with colourful documentation plus a full scall model of how it used to look and you can go around it at your own leisure and take pictures plus it free to view so all in all a real good sight to check out and we'll documented as well loved the History of the place really found it very interesting

Helen Phillips (2 years ago)
Very interesting history behind this site. Well worth a visit. The dome was an escape route!!!

Sarah Bancroft (3 years ago)
Interesting free place to visit

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Following Hadrian

Historic Site of the week

Walls of Constantinople

The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.

Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.

Alderney's Roman Fort

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Walls of Constantinople