Did you know that there was once a major Roman Fort in the heart of the Caerphilly county borough?
Many people drive past the site in Gelligaer every day without even realising the significance of the area, but a new book will unlock the secrets of the past and help local people discover its fascinating history.
The community has been working hard over the last few years to improve the profile of the Roman Fort site and its interpretation to bring the story to life.
The new Guidebook is one of the key elements of this interpretation project and Richard Brewer, Keeper of Archaeology & Numismatics at National Museum Wales, has been extremely generous in giving his time to updating the old guide and bringing the story to life with pictures and reconstructions of the site.
The new guidebook takes readers through a brief chronology of the history of Gelligaer so that everybody understands how the Romans and native Silure fit into the story of this community.
Cllr. Wynne David, who chairs the Roman Fort Working Group, said “The new guidebook is authoritative and a really good read – we are delighted that this has been published as it adds so much to the story of our fort. We are really grateful that the National Museum Wales was able to help us so much – it is an excellent example of a national organisation working with the community.”
The recent involvement of National Museum Wales with Gelligaer Roman Fort continues a long tradition, as it was John Ward, the first Keeper of Archaeology in the National Museum of Wales who led the excavation of Gelligaer Roman Fort that started in 1899.
If you would like a copy of the guidebook and the new walk leaflets, then send a large self addressed and stamped A4 envelope to Roman Guide Book, Gelligaer Community Council, Llwyn Onn, Penpedairheol, Hengoed. CF82 8BB or call into St Catwg’s Hall in Gelligaer.
The Gelligaer Roman Fort project has been funded by ERDF RDP and Heritage Lottery Fund.
Partners in delivering the project are Gelligaer & Pen-y-Bryn Partnership, Gelligaer Community Council, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Gelligaer Historical Society, and various community representatives.
