Roman Chester - The Newstead Gallery
The Newstead Roman Gallery was opened in 1952. It is named
after Professor Robert Newstead, the first curator of the museum.
The gallery tells the story of the Romans in Chester including the
Roman legion and its fortress, coinage, pottery, glass, religion,
trade and everyday life. Dr. Graham Webster, who created the
original gallery, opened the current displays in 1987.
Guarding the entrance to the gallery is a life size model of a
Roman legionary of about AD 60 which shows how they dressed.
Two highlights of the gallery are the military diplomas and the
collection of lead water pipes and ingots found in or near
Chester.
Military diplomas were given to auxiliary soldiers who had
served in the army for 25 years. The diplomas were inscribed on
bronze tablets. They gave Roman citizenship to the men and their
children and made their marriages legal. Only 13 diplomas have been
found in Britain. The most complete was found in Malpas, Cheshire
in 1821. It is dated 19th January AD 104 and was made
out to horsemen and foot soldiers serving under Lucius Neratius
Marcellus, Governor of Britain.
Lead ores were very important to the Romans not only for the
lead but also for the silver found in the ore. The lead was mined
from the Clwyd Hills. One of the lead pipes on display was made in
AD 79.
A model of the principia shows the headquarters
building inside the fortress. It contained a large courtyard
surrounded by offices and stores. You can only see a few traces of
this great Roman building today. St. Peter's Church at the City
Cross now stands on the site of the entrance to the
principia.
The model of the Roman amphitheatre at Chester shows a
reconstruction of the largest stone amphitheatre in Britain. It
could hold over 6000 spectators. Its main purpose was for training
the legionaries in fighting techniques. You can see the partially
excavated remains on Little St. John Street near the Roman Gardens.
Visit the Roman
Amphitheatre web site (external link).
A model of the whole Roman fortress at Chester shows a
bird's-eye view of the fortress around AD 220. The Chester Project
Reconstructing Roman Chester gives a modern interpretation of the
north-east corner of the fortress through computer animation.
Take a look at our gallery worksheets for children, designed for
KS: 1 - 2 pupils studying the Romans. These support visits to
the Grosvenor Museum, classroom work, and provide an introduction
to Chester's foundation almost two-thousand years ago. The
Education Service based in the Museum offers a variety of services
supporting the National Curriculum in Primary and Secondary
Schools, as well as out of school activities: telephone 01244
402017.
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