£250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help transform Roman Caerleon

A new project to explore potential opportunities at one of Europe’s largest and best-preserved Roman military sites has secured £250,000 in grant funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Caerllion Rufeinig – Porth i Partnership / Roman Caerleon Gateway Partnership Project will harness the combined expertise of Welsh Government’s historic environment service Cadw, Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Wales) and Newport City Council to improve the heritage and tourism offer in Caerleon for both the local community and visitors.

Over the next 18 months, the partners will engage with the community and stakeholders to reconnect them with Caerleon’s important Roman remains and collections.

New vision

The funding will support a series of studies and plans to make Caerleon’s history more accessible, while addressing heritage crime and antisocial behaviour.

Work will also be undertaken to better understand visitor and community needs, and improve the visitor experience for everyone.

This work will eventually culminate in the creation of a comprehensive master plan for Roman Caerleon.

Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant, said: “By bringing together key heritage organisations with the local community, this partnership creates an exciting opportunity to transform how we experience Caerleon’s remarkable Roman heritage. This collaborative approach embodies our commitment to making Wales’s cultural heritage accessible to all while ensuring its preservation for future generations.”

Caerleon is home to major visitor attractions including the National Roman Legion Museum, run by Amgueddfa Cymru, and the excavated and displayed remains of an amphitheatre, fortress baths and military barracks in the care of Cadw. Dating from AD 74-5, the Roman fortress of ISCA was constructed as the base for the Second Augustan Legion and remained one of just three permanent legionary bases in Britain for over 200 years.

When this initial project is complete, the partners intend to seek further funding to develop and deliver an ambitious project to kickstart the delivery of the new vision and plans alongside the community and stakeholders.

Innovative 

Andrew White, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Director of Wales said: “We’re delighted to support this innovative partnership project with £250,000, made possible by National Lottery players. This will help unlock the extraordinary potential of Roman Caerleon, one of Europe’s most significant archaeological sites, whilst delivering real benefits for the local community.”

Lessons learned from the project will be applied to other high-profile or under-appreciated heritage sites where visitor attractions run by different organizations could benefit from collaborative approaches with their communities.