IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Westwood, HEXHAM, NE47 7JN

The buildings nestling in the valley of the Chainley Burn on the eastern edge of Vindolana house the museum, cafe and offices of the Vindolanda Trust.

Chesterholm was built in 1831 on the remains of a derelict fulling mill by Rev. Anthony Hedley, who was the first excavator of Vindolanda. Between 1929 and 1950 it was the home of Eric Birley who continued the work. It was purchased by the Vindolanda Trust in 1974 to house the site's museum and has been extensively extended. Recently renovated displays in the museum were opened in Spring 2011. View of the museum buildings at Vindolanda beyond the bridge over Chainley Burn. The replica milepost stands by the path in the foreground. It is described as a replica of the milepost that may have preceded the one that stands by the Stangate Road to the north. The replica bears an inscription to the Emperor Hadrian. There is circumstantial evidence that he stayed at Vindolanda when visiting the start of building Hadrian's Wall in AD122. The milestone on the Stangate, marking a point 15 miles west of Corbridge, however, is made of a single piece of sandstone, and has no inscription Image The museum now houses some of the famous writing tablets which were excavated from the Roman Fort, and recently returned to Vindolanda on loan from the British Museum Image They are displayed in a special case, where oxygen, moisture and humidity are constantly controlled and monitored. British Museum curators chose the Vindolanda Tablets as one of their top 10 British Treasures for a BBC2 television program in 2003 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/britain/our_top_ten_british_treasures/the_vindolanda_tablets.aspx

Chesterholm was the name given to the cottage built here in 1831 by Vindolanda's first excavator, the Rev Anthony Hedley. The cottage was extended by Eric Birley in 1930 and after changing ownership several times was bought by the Vindolanda Trust in 1974. It has since been enlarged to provide a headquarters for the Trust and space to display the Designated* collection of finds to modern visitors. * The collection of finds is the only Designated collection of national importance of Roman material from Hadrian's Wall. Info source: Vindolanda Charitable Trust Wikipedia Vindolanda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindolanda

Statue in the grounds of Chesterholme.

Bridge over the stream near Chesterholm on the site of the Roman fort at Vindolanda.

Replicas of inscribed altars and gravestones found at Vindolanda but now housed in other museums. Vindolanda calls this a 'lapidarium' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapidarium

This sculpture commemorates the finding by Robin Birtley, pioneering archaeologist, of the partly-charred remains from a bonfire of Roman army paperwork dating from AD105. The firepit is ceremonially lit once a year.

The Lapidarium in Vindolanda museum gardens. A lapidarium is a place where stone monuments are exhibited and here are four faithful replicas of some of Vindolanda's finest inscriptions that are now in other museums. Info source: Vindolanda Charitable Trust Wikipedia Vindolanda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindolanda