ANCIENT stones have pride of place at Arbeia Roman Fort again, thanks to help from staff at UK Docks Marine Services.
A team of volunteers from the national company, headquartered at River Drive in South Shields, descended upon the fort in one of their regular visits to support the historic tourist attraction.
The UK Docks team with the remodelled Stone Park at Arbeia
And Alex Croom, keeper of archaeology at the site, set them to work on restoring the setting of some of the most evocative stone relics found on site.
She said: “ We have dozens of distinctive stones recovered from the grounds over the years which we used to display in a gravelled setting near the picnic area..
“That area had become very overgrown over time and we also wanted to display the stones in a better way, which is where UK Docks came in.”
Putting their back into it! The UK Docks hard at it, clearing the overgrown site.
The stones are survivors from the days when the Roman Empire ruled over the land more than 1,600 years ago and the Fort stationed troops and served as a granary for the region.
They consist mainly of stones with holes in them and stones with chamfered edges but there are also troughs, drains, columns, pier bases, basins and more.
Stone Park - a walk back through ancient history
Alex, who is keeper of archaeology for South and North Tyneside for North East Museums, explained: “We suspect that most, if not all, of the stones with holes in them were probably post stones, used for doorways to fix doors.
“The stone with chamfered edges - some on three or four sides - would have been used on the top of the fort’s crenellations, the battlements, which helped to stop rain getting into the stonework.
“There were a huge number of granaries at Arbeia, and some of the stones would have been part of stone buttresses which supported the weight of the building and formed part of slopes to avoid rain.”
Keeper of archaeology, Alex Croom, delighted with UK Docks’ work
The team from UK Docks cleared the gravelled area of weeds and growth, rearranged the stones into formations and gathered the chamfered stones and the stones with holes into separate areas of the stone park.
Alex said: “It was great to have them here.
“I could have attempted the work myself but it would probably have taken several weeks, doing it bit by bit, but they turned up and did the whole thing in a day before moving on to help with the outlines of the fort itself.
“It helps that they know each other well and can work as a team to get work done efficiently and effectively.
Some of the UK Docks team relaxing after completing the weeding and heavy lifting at Arbeia.
“Now we have a newly restored attraction near the site’s picnic area which will be a talking point for visitors while they enjoy their break.”
In recent years, UK Docks has done numerous community works, including beach cleans near their offices at Sandhaven beach, but the trips to Arbeia have turned into regular visits, and each time they go to the former fort, they look to accomplish specific tasks.
Emma Bryon, UK Docks office manager, who co-ordinated the trip, said: “We really enjoy our trips to Arbeia and we always come back to the office with a sense of satisfaction at having contributed something worthwhile.
UK Docks managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “It’s always good to get feedback like this for the volunteer work our team carries out.
“We are a family-run company, deeply rooted in the local community, and as part of that we take our social values and contribution to the local community seriously as an important part of our company values.”
Shawn Doering and Cameron Dunbar enjoy a light moment during a break in the heavy work
Arbeia Roman Fort is open to the general public from 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays, 11 am - 4 pm on Saturday and 1 pm to 4 pm on Sunday and entry to the Baring Street site is completely free. For more information visit https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/arbeia or call 0191 277 1409.