Lower Roman Fort

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The scheduled area is divided into two parts. To the W of the main Caernarfon road is a triangular piece of land which now contains a petrol filling station; no archaeological features can be seen in this area. To the E of the main road lie the remains of the Roman wall, and it is only the wall which is scheduled on this side of the road. The S wall is clearly visible, rising to a height of some 4 m and containing a blocked gateway 2.9 m wide. The W end of this wall is suffering some damage from vegetation growing on the wall, and the E end has been built against.

The E wall forms the rear wall of a row of gardens, and has been obscured in places by buildings. Much of the outer face of this wall is missing, revealing a mortared rubble interior. The upper part of the wall is covered for much of its length in a mass of firmly embedded ivy, which is causing some damage to the structure of the wall.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of Roman settlement and defence. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structures themselves may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.