Now we’re excited to learn more
We have always wished to complete the radar survey for the whole fort, to give us a really deep knowledge and understanding of this and other forts of the Saxon Shore. By knowing exactly what is underground in great detail, we will be better placed to understand the significance of the site, to share this with our visitors and contribute to our conservation of the Roman archaeology here.
Therefore we’re really pleased that Dr John Gater of Sumo Survey Services, who last visited with Time Team, will be returning and extending the survey to the fort field this November. Alongside this the Sumo team will carry out a micro ground-survey of the site from a drone, this modelling will build up an image of what the contours of the site are today.
Our hope for the future
Today, Branodunum sits in a series of open fields. The fort and its civilian settlement is still visible as earthworks on the ground and as cropmarks in aerial photographs. The amazing images from the radar survey reveal much more of what is hidden under the grass. Sadly the walls of the fort, which once stood to their full height, were cleared away in the 18th century to build buildings in the village, but this new work will let us imagine what it would have been like to have walked through this once bustling military base.
Currently, the underlying archaeology is preserved by the grass. We hope over time we’ll be able to interpret this site in more detail and bring this fort’s story back to life.