Well found near Roman fort at Lancaster dig

Archaeologists have just uncovered a well during their search for Roman discoveries at Lancaster’s Castle Hill site.

The well has been unearthed next to a wall – a wall the team believe could be a Roman fort.

A team from Beyond the Castle project and many volunteers have been digging for nearly two weeks in the hope to prove the theory of a Roman fort.

Evidence of a major Roman fort designed to keep invaders out of Britain is being explored and the dig has attracted volunteers from around the UK and abroad.

Jason Wood, excavation director and heritage consultant to the Beyond the Castle, is leading the project and says excitement has been building since the dig began.

Coun Darren Clifford, Lancaster City Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for tourism and leisure, has been digging with the team.

He said: “We have just discovered what we think is a well in one of the bigger trenches, we are not sure of the date, it is hard to tell at this stage but it is very exciting.

“The well is next to the wall of what we think is the fort.

“I have been done here a couple of days and it has been a real solid affair from everyone. The atmosphere is amazing, it is a really exciting time for the city.”

Trenches dug in the late 1920s and early 1970s have been re-opened to seek out geothermal data relating to Lancaster’s Late Roman Shore Fort.

The Shore Fort was one of a succession of Roman Forts, dating from the first to fourth centuries, which occupied Lancaster’s Castle Hill. The site near Lancaster Castle and the Priory has not been dug on for 41 years.

More to come.