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Birmingham's Roman fort (Metchley) is centred on what is now Vincent
Drive in Edgbaston. Part of the site of the fort is now within the main
campus of the University of Birmingham, and part is in the area of the
University's Medical School and the QE Hospital. The outline of the fort
could still be seen above ground in the early part of the 20th century,
and some excavations in the 1930s when the Medical School was being
built confirmed its Roman date. There were further excavations in the
1940s and 1950s, and a corner of the fort's defences was reconstructed.
Excavations
Extensive excavations in the 1960s revealed remains of
the fort's defences and timber buildings within it, including barrack
blocks and granaries. The results suggested three periods of the fort's
development, from its establishment just a few years after the Roman
army landed in Kent to its abandonment by the end of the first century
AD.
Several excavations have taken place since 1997 as part of
the planning process for new developments by the Unversity and the
proposed redevelopment of the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital. These excavations have transformed our knowledge
of the fort. We now know that it was larger and occupied for a longer
period than previously thought, and its remains are better preserved and
more important than previously realised.
Discoveries
Excavations in 2003, 2004 and 2005 revealed:
 | Part of the fort’s ditches and ramparts | | Timber gateways and a guard chamber | | Roads which had been resurfaced | | Timber buildings including barracks, granaries, workshops, stables, the headquarters building and the commanding officer’s house | | Ovens and hearths |
The pottery found on the site included:
| Vessels that had been made on or close to the site itself | | Vessels from the Severn Valley and Malvern Hills | | Fine tableware from France and storage vessels that would have contained olive oil from southern Spain. | | There were also several pieces of glass, from cups and bowls. |
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