The ongoing community excavation and exhibition project of Carlisle’s Roman Bathhouse, Uncovering Roman Carlisle (URC), has been nominated for a prestigious national award and is set to return to site for a “mini-dig” later this month.
The project has been nominated for the Council for British Archaeology, Archaeological Achievement Awards 2023; in the Learning, Training and Skills category (kindly sponsored by Archaeological Management Solutions) and in the Public Dissemination or Participation category (kindly sponsored by the Institute for Archaeologists of Ireland). The winner will be announced on Friday 24 November 2023.
This October and early November, thanks to the generosity of Carlisle Cricket Club and the support of Cumberland Council, Wardell Armstrong, joined by volunteers, will be excavating on site at the Cricket Club between Saturday 28 October and Saturday 4 November 2023.
At the same time Tullie is hosting the Digging Deeping: Uncovering Roman Carlisle, exhibition until Saturday 11 November, showcasing the “once in a lifetime” recent internationally significant finds from Carlisle’s Roman Bathhouse - including the two huge carved Roman heads.
Councillor Anne Quilter, Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Vibrant and Healthy Places, said:
“The mini-dig will be a small evaluation, comprising a single trench over the Roman road looking at activity to the south of the road, typically where Roman shops and other buildings would be found.
“The dig will inform future, larger, archaeological exploration of the site. This dig much smaller in scale, with volunteer places limited, however the active excavation will be free to visit.”
This is smaller excavation and volunteer positions for this mini-dig are limited and must be booked through Eventbrite. The site is free to visit and will be open to the public to see between 10am and 4pm.
The most recent phase of excavations has involved 373 volunteers, with more than 2,000 significant finds, and over 1,678 volunteer days given by volunteers since 2021. More than 6,000 people visited the site, including 625 trips from local schools so far in 2023. This high-profile dig, which featured in Channel 4/National Geographic’s Lost Treasures of Rome and is set to be part of the programme Digging for Britain, has captured attention worldwide with the number and quality of discoveries.
Frank Giecco Technical Director at Wardell Armstrong said:
“We’re so pleased to be returning the site with the support of the Cricket Club and Cumberland Council to prepare for next year. And it’s just brilliant getting shortlisted for two nominations for the Archaeological Achievement Awards with the Council for British Archaeology. Thanks to all the efforts of the volunteers and the team, it is an incredible achievement!
“We’ve been able to keep providing opportunities to get involved and see Carlisle’s heritage, far more than we ever planned, or hoped for, and every time we can come back to the site it’s such a gift. It’ll be a very interesting week at the mini-dig and as we look to answer more questions about the site with the volunteers. Many thanks to Avon Construction for supporting the excavations with their machinery.
"We have so many opportunities right now to find out more about what’s been discovered, our mini-dig later this month and the Digging Deeper Exhibition at Tullie.”
Keep in touch with project updates through The Diggers: Archaeology in Carlisle Facebook Page.