Remains of Roman fort uncovered under vets' in Castleford

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The remains of a Roman fort have been uncovered under a building in Castleford that is now a veterinary practice.

A blue plaque has been installed to mark the spot at Chantry Vets, the former Mexborough Arms.

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The newly reformed Castleford Civic Society (CCS) is undertaking a programme of refreshing existing civic plaques and, where possible, introducing a QR coded video.

The ultimate aim is to establish a civic plaque trail around Castleford.

Lord St Oswald, Victoria Lee,  director Chantry Vets, Coun Denise Jeffery, Council Leader and Coun Audrey Forster, Vice Chair Castleford Civic Society, Coun Richard Forster, local Coun and Castleford Civic Society member.Lord St Oswald, Victoria Lee,  director Chantry Vets, Coun Denise Jeffery, Council Leader and Coun Audrey Forster, Vice Chair Castleford Civic Society, Coun Richard Forster, local Coun and Castleford Civic Society member.
Lord St Oswald, Victoria Lee, director Chantry Vets, Coun Denise Jeffery, Council Leader and Coun Audrey Forster, Vice Chair Castleford Civic Society, Coun Richard Forster, local Coun and Castleford Civic Society member.

This is the first one in the programme.

Kathryn Stainburn, CCS lead member on the project said: “Castleford has a rich Roman history, and we are very excited to be unveiling our first QR coded video explainer on the roman fort found at this particular site.

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"Castleford Civic Society plans to refresh all the current plaques in the town referencing our Roman history, with a QR coded video explainer.

“In the longer term we hope to introduce a Castleford Civic Plaque Trail.”

The plaqueThe plaque
The plaque

CCS have worked with Chantry Vets on the project.

The vets’ practice director, Victoria Lee said: “The practice is very much part of the community, and we welcome the work being done by Castleford Civic Society to bring the history of our site to life.

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"It’s lovely to know that the new QR-coded plaque on our building is the first one in the programme being rolled out by the civic society and we hope that our clients and passers-by enjoy a glimpse into the past when they scan the code.”

There are currently three plaques denoting the Roman history of Castleford and all will be refreshed with a QR coded video.

The video has been put together by local historian and member of the civic society, David Pickersgill, with technical support from member, John Mundy.

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The plaque states: “The western defensive rampart of a Roman auxiliary fort of the first Century AD lies beneath this building.”

An archaeological dig discovered the remains of a first century fort established in AD71 under the building.

Castleford was a crucial location as it was the point at which the River Aire could be reliably forded.

The building, which Chantry Vets has occupied since 2011, is the oldest complete building in the town, dating from the first quarter of the 19th century.

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