Visiting
Opening Times
Binchester is now open.
Opening Dates
Saturday 22 March-30 September 2008Daily 11.00am-5.00pm, July and August 10.00am-5.00pm)
Visits can be arranged by appointment for school groups, small and large parties.
Finding Us
Binchester Fort is situated in the centre of County Durham, approximately one and a half miles north of Bishop Auckland. Car parking is available on site and the Fort is signposted from the A690 Durham-Crook, from A688 Spennymoor - Bishop Auckland Road and from Bishop Auckland Town Centre. Alternatively, the fort is a 20 minute walk along the banks of the River Wear from Bishop Auckland Market.Click on the image below to see an enlarged map of Binchester:
Admission Charges
Adult: £2.25Child (aged 5-16): £1.00
Concessions (OAP's, unemployed, students (with NUS card)): £1.00
Accessibility
The site has been specially laid out with level access for people in wheelchairs and those pushing prams. An accessible toilet and parking bays are provided. The site has a shop, toilet and limited refreshment facilities.Education
A school room, workshop activities and guided tours can be pre-booked in advance for school groups and small parties (up to 50). Extra information for school groups can be found here.Time Team
In April 2007 'Time Team' came to Binchester and excavated a number of areas inside Binchester Roman Fort including an area in the Vicus. Geophysical surveying was carried out over a large area to the south, east and north of the fort and this revealed extensive remains of civilian buildings as well as a number of hitherto unknown roads.
A series of square structures lying on the outer side of this road were targeted for investigation and these proved to be large, built tombs or mausolea. One of the two partially excavated had a grave in the centre containing the skeleton of a man who had been buried in a coffin (the nails were found but the wood had rotted away) with two pottery vessels placed on top of it. Clearly Binchester was the most important military base in the region at the time when the Romans invaded the North East. It was many decades later – perhaps around 150 AD – that the fort was reduced to 3.5 hectares (9 acres) in size and the defences built whose remains are visible today.
For more information, please contact either the site warden during site opening hours on tel: 01388 663089, or the Archaeology Officer at other times on tel: 0191 3708712 or email Archaeology.
Other Archaeology Information
- Binchester Roman Fort, School and Family Information
- Binchester Roman Fort
- Rock Art Project
- Historic Environment Record
- Archaeological Projects
- Portable Antiquities Scheme
- Archaeology News and Events
- Past Perfect
- Keys to the Past
- Development Control
You can also find out more about who the Archaeology Section are.
