Castrum Gariannonum

Caister Roman Site stands on the western edge of Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk. Built around AD 200 as a Saxon Shore fort, it covered about 3.5 hectares with high stone walls, corner towers and fortified gates. The fort guarded a busy estuary where four rivers met, protecting Roman shipping. A second fort at Burgh Castle stood across the water, helping to control the same waterway. Excavations between 1951 and 1955 uncovered parts of the south gate, perimeter walls and main road, leaving them exposed for visitors. The site is worth the journey for the remains it preserves from the later Roman period. Inside the exposed south gate is a defensive ditch and the foundations of a large building with at least six rooms. One room still shows the remains of a hypocaust heated floor, showing how the fort was kept warm. Finds include four mid-4th-century coins and small hoards of pottery and glass, giving a glimpse of daily life. Anglo-Saxon settlers later reused parts of the fort, building a settlement and a large cemetery to the south. Visitors find a large defensive ditch just inside the entrance, with the south gate and a small guard chamber beside it. North of the south wall lies the long building with its heated room and courtyard, surrounded by traces of earlier structures. The exposed ruins sit among modern houses, yet the scale of the original fort is still clear. A short walk leads to the Anglo-Saxon cemetery site, adding another layer of history. The open ground shows how the fort once dominated the estuary landscape before the coastline shifted inland.