Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort

22/05/2026

Join our school holiday family craft sessions and get creative with a Roman twist. Design your very own colourful Roman-style vase. Using bright tissue paper, you can decorate a beautiful vase to take home—perfect for displaying flowers (no water required!).

Wednesday 27 May
11am - 3pm
Free entry

These activities are part of our Ways to Play programme of free and low-cost family-friendly activities.

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Make your Ways to Play adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by Metro and / or Ferry. Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable.

Nearest Metro station: South Shields.

17/05/2026

What happens after disaster strikes? In the late third century, a catastrophic fire tore through the southern part of the fort but from the ruins came bold reinvention.

Rebuilt to a modern design inspired by the eastern Empire, the fort was transformed with grand processional routes, reorganised living quarters, and an impressive commander’s house. These buildings have been partially reconstructed on site for you to explore.

Find out more about this transformation and other changes in our current exhibition, After the Fire.

08/05/2026

04/05/2026

This is exactly why we do what we do. 🏺✨
​As a museum, we care for these artefacts every day, but we never lose sight of how magical they really are.

​Watching the "aha!" moment and seeing that massive smile and the sheer awe when she holds the same clay a Roman citizen touched is priceless.

01/05/2026

We are open as normal over the bank holiday weekend.

Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Sunday, 1–4pm
Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm

24/04/2026

People in regions across the world will take part by logging their sightings on the iNaturalist platform with a view to recording as much wildlife as they can! You don’t actually have to be in a city.

18/04/2026

Did you know we are part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site? Alongside Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall, there is also the Upper German-Raetian Limes, which is a 550km Roman frontier that once stretched between the Rhine and Danube rivers.

To mark World Heritage Day, we’re highlighting a remarkable object imported from the Rhineland which is in our collection; a large mortarium (mixing bowl), measuring an impressive 39cm across and almost complete. It was discarded in the early third century in a workshop pit that was never cleaned out.

19/12/2025

🎉 Io Saturnalia! 🎉
Today we celebrate Saturnalia, the ancient Roman festival of joy, feasting, and gift-giving!

This midwinter celebration, from December 17–23, honoured Saturn, the god of agriculture, and was a time for merriment, role reversals, and plenty of fun.
Fun Fact: During Saturnalia, social norms were turned upside down—masters served their slaves, and everyone wore festive hats called pileus to symbolize freedom! 🎭

Io Saturnalia! Wishing you joy and celebration this holiday season!

08/12/2025

We’re nearly there! Donate to our Big Give and be a part of young people’s development this Christmas.

Every £1 donated today will be generously doubled by our match funder, NorthStandard, and Reed Foundation! One donation, twice the impact.

https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS0