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Footprint Newsroom
| Client: |
English Heritage (West Midlands) |
| Issue date: |
26 July 2011 |
Living La Vida Romana at Wroxeter Roman City
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 2 – 24 August 2011
What was it like to live in one of the largest Roman cities in Brittanicus? That is what visitors to Wroxeter Roman City will find out over the next four Tuesdays and Wednesdays (2 – 24 August 2011), as a pair of Time Travelling Romans set up camp within the ruins as part of English Heritage’s Time Travelling Summer!
As Time Travellers Go... Roman, younger visitors will be invited to get a taste of life as a Roman soldier in the authentic setting of Wroxeter Roman City, which was first established as a legionary encampment, and subsequently a fortress around AD 47, as part of the Roman campaign which saw their armies sweep North, forcing out the local tribal leaders.
Children will have the chance to learn some of the techniques used by the army to make them such a deadly foe, including the ‘testudo’ formation, which takes inspiration from the tortoise to create an almost impenetrable wall of shields around a Roman legion enabling them to quickly advance on their enemies, relatively safe from the hail of arrows and spears that would have been sent their way!
Visitors can also explore the many inventions that the Romans brought to England, with plenty of hands-on games and activities to try.
“When you hear about how the Romans lived in their towns and cities in this country, you start to comprehend just how advanced they were – and realise that Anglo Saxon society actually took a step backwards when the empire collapsed. The technological advances approach to society that they brought to this country, including glazed windows, building techniques for two-storey dwellings, and even their system of law and order, were largely lost during the Dark Ages and only resurfaced hundreds of years later,” says visitor operations manager, Nola Ames. “In our Time Traveller workshops, you can experience what life would have been like for a Roman soldier – and start to understand why the Roman army was one of the most formidable that history has ever seen!”
Summer visitors will also be able to explore Wroxeter’s later history, when it had expanded from its origins as a military hub, and became a thriving city with a civilian population of around 5000 people. The new Roman Town House which opened earlier this year – a recreation of a merchant’s luxurious home built for the Channel 4 series, ‘Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day’ - will continue to welcome visitors, to demonstrate what life would have been like for a wealthy citizen. The property shares many aspects you’d expect in a modern luxury home, from the mosaic floor in its main reception room, the Triclinium, to the underfloor heating, heated bath tub and cold plunge pool in the bathhouse!
The Roman Time Travellers will be in action every Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 to 24 August, from 11.00am to 5.00pm. Wroxeter Roman City and the Roman Town House are open daily throughout the summer from 10.00am to 5.00pm. Admission prices are £4.80 for adults, £4.30 for concessions and £2.90 for children, with a family ticket available for £12.50 (two adults and up to three children). English Heritage members get in free. An additional £1 will be charged on standard admission of every child (member and non-member) to help fund the Time Travellers activity.
Other forthcoming events at Wroxeter Roman City include an August bank holiday highlight, Gladiator! On 28 & 29 August.
Wroxeter Roman City is located in Wroxeter, five miles east of Shrewsbury on the B4380. For more information, please call 01743 761330 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/wroxeter
ENDS
For further media information, please contact:
Jay Commins PRO – English Heritage (West Midlands)
Tel: 0113 251 5698
Mob: 07810 546567
Email: jay@fim.org.uk
What was it like to live in one of the largest Roman cities in Brittanicus? That is what visitors to Wroxeter Roman City will find out over the next four Tuesdays and Wednesdays (2 – 24 August 2011), as a pair of Time Travelling Romans set up camp within the ruins as part of English Heritage’s Time Travelling Summer!
As Time Travellers Go... Roman, younger visitors will be invited to get a taste of life as a Roman soldier in the authentic setting of Wroxeter Roman City, which was first established as a legionary encampment, and subsequently a fortress around AD 47, as part of the Roman campaign which saw their armies sweep North, forcing out the local tribal leaders.
Children will have the chance to learn some of the techniques used by the army to make them such a deadly foe, including the ‘testudo’ formation, which takes inspiration from the tortoise to create an almost impenetrable wall of shields around a Roman legion enabling them to quickly advance on their enemies, relatively safe from the hail of arrows and spears that would have been sent their way!
Visitors can also explore the many inventions that the Romans brought to England, with plenty of hands-on games and activities to try.
“When you hear about how the Romans lived in their towns and cities in this country, you start to comprehend just how advanced they were – and realise that Anglo Saxon society actually took a step backwards when the empire collapsed. The technological advances approach to society that they brought to this country, including glazed windows, building techniques for two-storey dwellings, and even their system of law and order, were largely lost during the Dark Ages and only resurfaced hundreds of years later,” says visitor operations manager, Nola Ames. “In our Time Traveller workshops, you can experience what life would have been like for a Roman soldier – and start to understand why the Roman army was one of the most formidable that history has ever seen!”
Summer visitors will also be able to explore Wroxeter’s later history, when it had expanded from its origins as a military hub, and became a thriving city with a civilian population of around 5000 people. The new Roman Town House which opened earlier this year – a recreation of a merchant’s luxurious home built for the Channel 4 series, ‘Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day’ - will continue to welcome visitors, to demonstrate what life would have been like for a wealthy citizen. The property shares many aspects you’d expect in a modern luxury home, from the mosaic floor in its main reception room, the Triclinium, to the underfloor heating, heated bath tub and cold plunge pool in the bathhouse!
The Roman Time Travellers will be in action every Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 to 24 August, from 11.00am to 5.00pm. Wroxeter Roman City and the Roman Town House are open daily throughout the summer from 10.00am to 5.00pm. Admission prices are £4.80 for adults, £4.30 for concessions and £2.90 for children, with a family ticket available for £12.50 (two adults and up to three children). English Heritage members get in free. An additional £1 will be charged on standard admission of every child (member and non-member) to help fund the Time Travellers activity.
Other forthcoming events at Wroxeter Roman City include an August bank holiday highlight, Gladiator! On 28 & 29 August.
Wroxeter Roman City is located in Wroxeter, five miles east of Shrewsbury on the B4380. For more information, please call 01743 761330 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/wroxeter
ENDS
For further media information, please contact:
Jay Commins PRO – English Heritage (West Midlands)
Tel: 0113 251 5698
Mob: 07810 546567
Email: jay@fim.org.uk