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The Great Britain Guide

Hill forts · North West England

Castleshaw Roman fort

Free admission

Castleshaw Roman fort — Roman fort in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, England, UK.

Castleshaw Roman fort, hill forts in North West England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
Nearest railway station
Greenfield · 5.0 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Castleshaw Roman fort is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: part of a Scheduled Monument. Part of Castleshaw Roman forts, 250m west of Castle Shaw Farm. Wikidata describes it as: "Roman fort in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, England, UK". Coordinates: 53.5830°, -2.0030°.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: South Pennine Moors SSSI

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Castleshaw Roman fort was a castellum in the Roman province of Britannia. Although there is no evidence to substantiate the claim, it has been suggested that Castleshaw Roman fort is the site of Rigodunum, a Brigantian settlement. The remains of the fort are located on Castle Hill on the eastern side of Castleshaw Valley at the foot of Standedge but overlooking the valley. The hill is on the edge of Castleshaw in Greater Manchester. The fort was constructed in c. AD 79, but fell out of use at some time during the 90s. It was replaced by a smaller fortlet, built in c. 105, around which a civilian settlement grew. It may have served as a logistical and administrative centre, although it was abandoned in the 120s. The site has been the subject of antiquarian and archaeological investigation since the 18th century, but the civilian settlement lay undiscovered until the 1990s. The fort, fortlet, and civilian settlement are all protected as a scheduled monument, recognising its importance as a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building, and protecting it against unauthorised change.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

Architecture

The fort was rectangular in shape and had sides of 115 m and 100 m, covering an area of approximately 1.2 ha. The fortlet was rectangular, with sides of 50 m by 40 m, and covered 1950 m2. The inner ditch was 3.9 m wide and 1.3 m deep while the outer ditch was 2.5 m wide and 0.9 m deep. A Punic ditch is a defensive v-shaped ditch with one side much steeper than the other; the ditches surrounding the fortlet had an outer face at 27 degrees and the inner face at 69 degrees. Whether corner towers were a feature of the fortlet is unknown, no evidence remains aside from a single posthole, although only the north and east corners survive in good condition. There were two gateways, one to the north…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
53.5830, -2.0030
District
Oldham
Parish
Saddleworth
Postcode
OL3 5HS
Parliamentary constituency
Oldham East and Saddleworth
Nearest railway station
Greenfield5 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Castleshaw Roman fort?
Castleshaw Roman fort is in North-West England, United Kingdom (postcode OL3 5HS), in the parish of Saddleworth.
Is Castleshaw Roman fort a listed building?
Castleshaw Roman fort is officially recognised as part of a Scheduled Monument listed.
Is Castleshaw Roman fort a protected site?
Yes — Castleshaw Roman fort is part of the South Pennine Moors SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is Castleshaw Roman fort free to visit?
Yes, Castleshaw Roman fort is free to enter.
How do I get to Castleshaw Roman fort?
The nearest railway station is Greenfield, about 5.0 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode OL3 5HS.