The Vindolanda Trust

The Vindolanda Trust Two attractions Roman Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum sitting on the world famous Hadrian's Wall Unesco World Heritage site. It helps us to learn and grow.
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Welcome to the North East’s best day out on Hadrian’s Wall. The Vindolanda Charitable Trust bring you two exciting and unmissable tourist attractions dramatically exploring Roman life on the edge of the empire 2000 years ago. Come and enjoy the world famous Vindolanda Writing Tablets, live archaeology in summertime, the exclusive Eagle Eye HD film and much more all in the heart of beautiful Northu

mberland National Park and central section of Hadrian's Wall.

*Our Facebook ‘House Rules’*
We want our page to be a place where people can share engage with our journey and find out what is happening at both Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum. We welcome feedback – both positive and negative. These house rules aim to ensure everyone can enjoy themselves while they’re here:

We ask you to be nice and polite to one another – you almost always are! - and respect each other’s views and comments. We ask all users to ensure your contributions are civil, polite, tasteful and suitable for all ages. We won't tolerate disruptive, offensive or abusive behaviour, unlawful or objectionable content. This includes any material which might be defamatory, offensive, infringing, obscene, lewd, pornographic, violent, abusive, insulting, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, blasphemous, indecent or otherwise unlawful or objectionable. It also includes any material which is aggressive, argumentative or likely to be construed as bullying. No spamming or repetition, please, nor off-topic material in subject-specific threads or areas.

*Moderation policy*
In general, we don’t moderate posts – except on the rare occasion that someone has used offensive language or made libellous allegations about named or identifiable individuals on our page. We have a duty to protect our staff and volunteers, so while deleting comments is totally out of character for us, our legal position is that any post containing a libellous accusations, should be removed. If an individual continues to post offensive, threatening or libellous content then we’ll be forced to block that person from the page. We won’t tolerate postings, content, or links that are racist, sexist or homophobic. We also don’t permit linking to or posting any content which endorses illegal activity, or any activities against the values of the Vindolanda Trust. If you’re concerned that a posting or user content has broken any of our house rules or you’re worried about any comment or content then please send us an email to [email protected] and let us know. If you have any questions about the house rules or the work of The Vindolanda Trust, or queries that need a more in depth answer we are always happy to help. Please email us at [email protected]

We support Facebook’s community standards, and ask that you do, too: www.facebook.com/communitystandards

26/05/2026

Lovely find in the pottery bag for the post excavation team today. A sherd of samian with a stamp and graffiti. Fantastic.

To celebrate the Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum, w...
26/05/2026

To celebrate the Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum, we’re once again turning Tuesday into Shoesday.

Each week, “Shoesday” highlights remarkable Roman footwear from our collection. With nearly 5,000 ancient shoes discovered at Vindolanda, we could keep this series going for quite some time.

At #4: The designer shoe

Affectionately known as the “Lepidina Sandal”, this is one of the finest shoes ever uncovered at Vindolanda. The sandal is perfectly preserved with several sole layers and the upper intact.

With today’s hot weather, it feels especially fitting to share this remarkable find. Nearly 1,900 years ago, a Roman lady may have chosen this beautifully crafted leather summer sandal for a day just like this.

Stamped with the maker’s name — Lucius Aebutius Thales — it may even represent one of history’s earliest examples of a designer shoe label. You can see this wonderful artefacts on display in the Vindolanda museum.

Shoesday is all about celebrating shoes, ancient and modern alike.

Vindolanda Excavations | Photo Friday ☀️Another two weeks have flown by which means it’s Photo Friday for our team in gr...
22/05/2026

Vindolanda Excavations | Photo Friday ☀️

Another two weeks have flown by which means it’s Photo Friday for our team in green (with a splash of orange!).

Our Period 4 team, pictured here on a wonderful day on site, have made fantastic progress and should be incredibly proud of everything they’ve achieved.

On Bank Holiday Monday, we welcome our Period 5 team to Vindolanda and excavations continue at Roman Magna. Here’s to the next chapter of discoveries!

Join us for a special evening with Dr Elizabeth Greene and Dr Andrew Birley at the official launch of The Roman Footwear...
21/05/2026

Join us for a special evening with Dr Elizabeth Greene and Dr Andrew Birley at the official launch of The Roman Footwear from Vindolanda.

Taking place at the Roman Army Museum on Tuesday 2 June at 5:30pm, the in person event will also include an exclusive opportunity to view part of the remarkable Vindolanda shoe collection with Curator Barbara Birley and see some of the Roman Magna shoes now on display in the museum.

Please note this is a ticketed event and advance booking is required. Your ticket also includes admission to the Roman Army Museum. Friends of Vindolanda are welcome to attend free of charge, but must reserve a Friends ticket in advance. Book using the link below.

https://bit.ly/4upUl8A

Magna Excavations | Jet BeadA surprise discovery for our post-excavation team working at Roman Magna today. This little ...
20/05/2026

Magna Excavations | Jet Bead

A surprise discovery for our post-excavation team working at Roman Magna today. This little jet bead was found hidden in a soil sample bucket. All of our sample locations are carefully recorded so we know exactly where on site this bead came from (a drain!).

Don’t forget you can keep up to date with the excavations at Magna by reading the Dig Diary ⬇️

https://romanarmymuseum.com/magnafort/magna-dig-diary-2026/

To celebrate the Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum, w...
19/05/2026

To celebrate the Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum, we’re once again turning Tuesday into Shoesday.

Each week, “Shoesday” highlights remarkable Roman footwear from our collection. With nearly 5,000 ancient shoes discovered at Vindolanda, we could keep this series going for quite some time.

At #3: The Baby Boot

The baby boot pictured here is one of the most emotive artefacts in our collection. It was uncovered in the Period 3 praetorium — the commanding officer’s residence of Flavius Cerialis, prefect of the ninth cohort of Batavians and his wife Sulpicia Lepidina. The child who wore it was likely only eight to twelve months old, barely walking.

This tiny boot with an intricate fishnet upper and hobnails tells us something important about the expectations of dress within an elite family. Even the footwear of an infant served as a visible marker of social status.

Shoesday is all about celebrating shoes — ancient and modern alike.

Today, 18 May, is International Museum Day, a celebration of the vital role museums play as places of cultural exchange,...
18/05/2026

Today, 18 May, is International Museum Day, a celebration of the vital role museums play as places of cultural exchange, enrichment, and mutual understanding.

Museums help foster cooperation, inspire curiosity, and promote peace among peoples by preserving and sharing the stories of our collective past.

Which was the last museum you visited? Give them a mention!

Vindolanda Excavations | Game OnWeek two starts today in the trenches today for our Period 4 Team at Vindolanda. Last Fr...
18/05/2026

Vindolanda Excavations | Game On

Week two starts today in the trenches today for our Period 4 Team at Vindolanda. Last Friday the team uncovered a beautiful green glass gaming counter.

Hundreds of gaming counters have been discovered at Vindolanda over the years, from simple recycled pottery pieces to finely crafted examples made from animal bone, jet and glass. Small finds like these offer a fascinating glimpse into everyday life and leisure on the Roman frontier.

Vindolanda also holds the largest collection of Roman stone gaming boards found anywhere in Britain.

Discover more about the ancient games played at Vindolanda here ⬇️

https://www.vindolanda.com/blogs/blog/playing-games-at-vindolanda

Roman Magna | Photo FridayToday was the final Friday for the Period 3 team at Magna. What a fantastic group of people an...
15/05/2026

Roman Magna | Photo Friday

Today was the final Friday for the Period 3 team at Magna. What a fantastic group of people and a great fortnight they’ve had, despite the unseasonable Northumberland weather.

The team uncovered huge amounts of animal bone but also a nice collection of small finds. These have included bone hairpins, a copper alloy toiletry instrument and pictured is a piece of antler that may have been used to make dice.

Follow the updates in the Magna Dig Diary for more news and photos! ⬇️

https://romanarmymuseum.com/period-3/

Roman Vindolanda | ExcavationsA beautifully stamped mortarium rim from a 3rd century context was one of the finds at Vin...
13/05/2026

Roman Vindolanda | Excavations

A beautifully stamped mortarium rim from a 3rd century context was one of the finds at Vindolanda today.

Mortaria were heavy mixing bowls with rough grit often embedded in the interior surface. You can just see some specks of that grit in this sherd pictured below.

Roman Vindolanda | ShoesdayTo celebrate the launch of Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire ...
12/05/2026

Roman Vindolanda | Shoesday

To celebrate the launch of Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire at the Bata Shoe Museum, we’re once again turning Tuesday into Shoesday!

Each week on “Shoesday” we’ll highlight remarkable Roman footwear in our collection. With nearly 5,000 ancient shoes discovered at Vindolanda, we could keep this going for quite some time.

At #2 - it’s a pair! Some people like shoes, some people love shoes, but most people appreciate a really good pair. The pair pictured here belonged to a young child (aged 5-8). They were uncovered during the 2016 excavations of a defensive fort ditch dating to the early third century, alongside hundreds of other shoes.

Finding ancient Roman shoes in matching pairs is rare. Most shoes were discarded individually once they became worn out, damaged, and beyond repair.

Shoesday is all about celebrating shoes, ancient and modern alike.

Address

Hadrian's Wall
Hexham
NE477JN

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 4pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 4pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 4pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4pm
Friday 9:30am - 4pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4pm

Telephone

+441434344277

Website

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