The Trimontium Trust & Museum

The Trust is volunteer run and operates walks, a museum and special events. The Trimontium Trust was established in 1988 to protect and promote the Roman frontier post of Trimontium, which was situated in the village of Newstead, near Melrose, in the Scottish Borders.

'Trimontium' was the Roman name for the site, meaning 'place of the three hills', referring to the Eildon Hills just to the south of the site. The Eildons were home to a large native hill fort, high up on the slopes, overlooking Trimontium. Between 1905-10, local lawyer and amateur archaeologist, Dr James Curle excavated the Trimontium site and found a wealth of Roman material, including domestic items, cavalry and military equipment. He wrote 'A Roman Frontier Post and its People in 1911, summarising his fantastic finds, and theorising why the fort had been abandoned several times by the army during its existence. Over the following decades, further investigations and digs have taken place at the Newstead site, revealing further hidden secrets and adding new details to Trimontium's story. In 1989, a museum was established by the Trust to tell the story of Trimontium and bring its history to life. The museum displays some of the artefacts discovered during the various investigations, although some of the rarer ones can be seen on display in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. In recent years, the museum has undergone a major refurbishment. Thanks to support from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, South of Scotland Enterprise Partnership, National Museums of Scotland, LIVE Borders, Scottish Borders Council and Museum & Galleries Scotland, we opened our new Trimontium Museum at the Ormiston in August 2021, with a greatly expanded gallery and collection, featuring some of the items from the Newstead collection at the National Museums Scotland, as well as artefacts on loan from private collections. Today it is one of the finest displays of Roman military objects in Britain. The Museum is open all year round except for a few weeks mid-December to February. Our guided walks to the fort site and around Melrose run from April to October. In 2024 we launched two new experiences: "Hands on History" offering a unique opportunity to get close and personal with authentic artefacts from our collection; and "The Trimontium VR Experience" a fascinating cinematic and virtual reality journey through time visiting the fort of Trimontium as it once was. The Trimontium Trust, museum and walks are volunteer-run. Our volunteers come from all walks of life but share a common love of history and the local area. The Trimontium Trust is registered as a charity in Scotland. The Museum is fully accredited by Museums and Galleries Scotland.