Caistor Roman Town

Caistor Roman Town also known as Venta Icenorum, was the largest Roman town in East Anglia. When it was first established in the AD70s, the town was unenclosed. The banks and walls visible today were not built until the 3rd century AD. The town was laid around a grid of streets, and in true Roman fashion, there is evidence of an amphitheatre to the south of the walled area, and a temple to the north-east; this temple was in addition to those in the centre of the town. The town also boasted running water, baths, a town hall (basilica), and a central public place (forum).

The site was still occupied from the early 6th century, during the early part of the Anglo-Saxon period, but the Roman buildings and infrastructure were left to decay. Venta Icenorum was eventually abandoned in the 8th century, when Norwich became the civic centre for the county. It is one of only three Roman towns in the country that were not built over in later centuries, giving us an extraordinary opportunity to explore its below-ground archaeology.

Guide Book – please click here to be taken to external distributor website : Venta Icenorum (Caistor Roman Town) Guidebook

A Woof Guide to Caistor Roman Town is available here: A WOOF Guide to Caistor Roman Town

Advice on dogs

The Trust welcomes responsible dog owners. Dogs must be on leads at all times.  Please clear up after your dog – dog waste bins are provided.

Caistor Roman Town
Caistor St Edmund
Norwich
NR14 8QN

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Guide

Download a printable PDF guide here.

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Access and Facilities

The site lies on the southern edge of the present-day village of Caistor St Edmund, c. 3.5 miles to the south of the centre of Norwich.

**PLEASE NOTE THAT OVERNIGHT CAMPING/PARKING IS NOT PERMITTED**

  • By car: the site lies on the minor road southward from Norwich to Stoke Holy Cross. The car park is on the right-hand side of the road as one drives south – watch out for the ‘brown sign’ as you draw near! Car parking charges are: £2 for 90 minutes, £3 for 3 hours, £5 all day. 

    For any car parking enquiries please contact Napier Parking: www.napierparking.co.uk. SatNav: NR14 8QL. The car park entrance lies on a bend, so please take care when arriving and leaving. Drivers arriving at Norwich via the A47 Norwich Southern Bypass can turn off at the A140 (Ipswich Road) intersection and follow signs to Caistor St Edmund.

  • By bus: Caistor St Edmund is on the Norwich to Poringland route. For up to date timetable information, please visit http://www.travelineeastanglia.org.uk or https://bustimes.org/localities/poringland.  From the bus stop located outside the Caistor Hall Hotel, in the village centre, you can walk via the Stoke Road (although there is no continuous pavement and pedestrians must take care). The site is c.0.8km to the south of the village centre.  
  • Cycling: from Norwich, the site is easily reached via City Road, Long John Hill passing the Cock PH, Lakenham) and Stoke Road.

Interactive interpretation scheme on site tells the story of the Roman Town.

 

 

 

NEW GUIDE BOOK

We’re pleased to announce our new guidebook, written by Dr Will Bowden. Venta Icenorum: A brief history of Caistor Roman Town traces the development of the Roman Town from its origins in the 1st century CE through post-Roman occupation up until the present day, bringing together recent research which has transformed our understanding of this nationally important site.  Guidebooks can be purchased online through our distributor Bittern Books. Please use the following link to their external website: Venta Icenorum (Caistor Roman Town) Guidebook

Guided tours: Tours run regularly during the summer season. Tours can be booked on Eventbrite and cost £5 per person, free for under 16s.  Private tours can be arranged by contacting info@norfarchtrust.org.uk

Get the Caistor Roman Town AR App

IT’S FREE!

The Caistor Roman Town free Augmented Reality app allows visitors to see a reconstruction of the town on the landscape and to examine in detail some of the artefacts found there. Download the Caistor Roman Town AR app onto a smartphone or tablet before you visit and see the town come to life!

Please note that your device must have an in-built compass for the app to work properly. Watch a sneak preview here.