Y Gaer Roman Fort

Y Gaer is a Roman fort beside the River Usk near Brecon in Mid Wales. Built around AD 75, it stood at a crossroads of Roman roads linking South Wales and Mid Wales. The fort was part of a chain that included smaller forts like Gobannium at Abergavenny and larger bases such as Moridunum and Isca Augusta at Caerleon. A cavalry contingent of up to 500 men, originally from Spain, was stationed here. Their early stables were wooden, protected by clay banks and a wooden palisade. The fort was rebuilt in the 2nd century by the Legio II Augusta and repaired again in the 4th century. In 1093 many of its stones were taken to build Brecon Castle. Sir Mortimer Wheeler excavated the site in the 1920s, uncovering evidence of its past. Artefacts found here include a tombstone of a young cavalryman called Candidus, now held at the Y Gaer cultural hub in Brecon. Today the site is cared for by Cadw and lies on private farmland. Visitors can see remnants of stone walls standing up to three metres high, parts of three gatehouses and corner guard towers. The remains sit beyond farm buildings at the end of an approach lane. Several artefacts have been removed to local museums, leaving the site largely grassy with clear traces of its Roman layout.