Castlecary Roman Fort

Castlecary was a Primary Antonine Wall fort covering an area of 1.4 hectacres with an annexe to
the east. It is one of only two forts with a stone surrounding wall. Excavations in 1902 uncovered
the fort wall and some stone built central buildings

It is now difficult to visualise the original setting of the Roman fort. It occupies a rounded knoll
at the west end of a low ridge and was protected by the valley of the Bonny Water on the north,
the ravine of the Red Burn on the west and by a tract of low lying land which was formally
marshy along the south front.The only easy approach to the site in Roman times was from the
east.

Robbed for stone during the construction of the Forth and Clyde canal in the 1770's , it suffered
even further in 1841 when the line of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was carved
diagonally across it.Little now remains visible above ground level other than the general outlines
of the fort defences.

The internal layout of the fort conformed to the standard Roman plan. In the centre was the
headquarters building . At the side of this was a granary and the Commanding Officers house.
The Barracks occupied much of the rest of the fort. In the south east corner of the fort lay a
complex stone bathhouse.
This contained heated and unheated rooms with plunge baths. In 1769 an altar to Fortune was
found here. In the north east corner a latrine was found