Birmingham's Roman Fort (Metchley)

Birmingham's Roman fort (Metchley) is centred on what is now Vincent Drive in Edgbaston. Part of the site of the fort is now within the main campus of the University of Birmingham, and part is in the area of the University's Medical School and the QE Hospital. The outline of the fort could still be seen above ground in the early part of the 20th century, and some excavations in the 1930s when the Medical School was being built confirmed its Roman date. There were further excavations in the 1940s and 1950s, and a corner of the fort's defences was reconstructed.

Excavations

Extensive excavations in the 1960s revealed remains of the fort's defences and timber buildings within it, including barrack blocks and granaries. The results suggested three periods of the fort's development, from its establishment just a few years after the Roman army landed in Kent to its abandonment by the end of the first century AD.

Several excavations have taken place since 1997 as part of the planning process for new developments by the University and the proposed redevelopment of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. These excavations have transformed our knowledge of the fort. We now know that it was larger and occupied for a longer period than previously thought, and its remains are better preserved and more important than previously realised.

Discoveries

• Part of the fort ditches and ramparts
• Timber gateways and a guard chamber
• Roads which had been resurfaced
• Timber buildings including barracks, granaries, workshops, stables, the headquarters building and the commanding officer house
• Ovens and hearths

The pottery found on the site included:

• Vessels that had been made on or close to the site itself
• Vessels from the Severn Valley and Malvern Hills
• Fine tableware from France and storage vessels that would have contained olive oil from southern Spain.
• There were also several pieces of glass, from cups and bowls.

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Last Updated : 22nd August 2012