The West Gate

One of the most striking features of the fort is a reconstruction of the west gate, which was rebuilt as it would have looked in the second century.  

It was rebuilt to attract more visitors to the site, and it was the first time that a reconstruction had been built over Roman remains. A public enquiry was carried out before the work could go ahead.  

All Roman forts had four major gateways which controlled access to the fort itself. They also provided an imposing facade to impress upon people the might of the Roman empire.  

This is a west gateway. The north and east gateways could have looked similar, but the southern gateway only had a single archway entrance.  

The gate has two towers flanking a pair of carriageways, each of which had arches at the front and rear. Details of the appearance of the gateway were taken from information gathered during excavation.  

A reasonable estimate of the height, arches and fort wall could be made, but it was difficult to decide how many storeys the towers had and whether there was a room over the carriageways between the towers.  

Their appearance is modelled on the gates of two forts surviving in the Libyan Desert which have three storey towers.  

The defensive ditches in front of the gate have been re-dug according to their original plan.  

They were a formidable obstacle that would have slowed down any attack in force, allowing the garrison of the fort to rain down stones, spears and arrows on the enemy.  

Inside the gateway is an exhibition on the evidence used for the reconstruction. There is also a large model of the fort, an armoury and information on later use of the site.  

The top floor is also a good viewing platform for looking out over the fort.