Wroxeter Roman City
The Story
Viroconium Cornoviorum began as a Roman legionary fortress around 55 AD, established on a bend of the River Severn to control the territory of the Cornovii tribe. Within a century it had become one of the great civilian cities of Roman Britain, the fourth-largest in the province after Londinium, Eboracum and Calleva Atrebatum. At its peak it housed an estimated fifteen thousand people.
The city declined gradually as Roman authority withdrew from Britain in the early 5th century. Unlike many Roman towns, it was not built over — the site remained largely agricultural for the centuries that followed, which is why so much survives. The municipal baths, the forum, the street grid: all of it is still there, under the fields, with enough visible above ground to understand the scale of what stood here.
The standing wall known as the Old Work is the remains of the baths basilica, an indoor exercise and bathing hall built in the 2nd century AD. At fourteen metres high, it is the largest freestanding Roman ruin in England. English Heritage manages the site and has built a reconstructed Roman townhouse on the adjacent land, showing what the city's domestic architecture looked like in the 2nd century.
Five miles from Shrewsbury and consistently overlooked in favour of more famous Roman sites further south. The Old Work is the largest freestanding Roman ruin in England. The reconstructed townhouse shows what the city looked like at its height. Viroconium was the fourth-largest city in Roman Britain and most visitors to Shropshire have never heard of it.
Enjoy Your Visit
Wroxeter is five miles south-east of Shrewsbury on the B4380. A car is the practical way to get there. The site has its own car park. There is no direct public transport from Shrewsbury town centre.
The standing wall of the baths basilica is the centrepiece of the site. At fourteen metres it is the largest freestanding Roman ruin in England. The audio guide (included with admission, using a handset from the site) gives useful context for what you are looking at and what lies beneath the surrounding fields.
Adjacent to the ruins, English Heritage has built a full-scale reconstruction of a Roman townhouse based on the archaeological evidence from the site. Worth going through to understand what the city looked like when it was occupied. The scale of Viroconium is difficult to grasp from the ruins alone.
The on-site museum covers the history of Viroconium from fortress to civilian city, with finds from the excavations including everyday objects, inscriptions and material from the baths complex. Allow an hour for the museum and ruins together, longer if the audio guide draws you in.
Open daily March to October, 10am–5pm. November to December: open Wednesday to Sunday 10am–4pm. January to February: open Thursday to Sunday 10am–4pm. Closed 24–26 December and 1 January. Check english-heritage.org.uk before travelling in the off-season.
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