The Roman fort at Borrans Road, Ambleside, consolidation works 2011-12: Finds Report

In August 2012, Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned by Jamie Lund of the National Trust to report on a assemblage of finds collected in the course of consolidation and other surface works at the Roman fort, at Ambleside, in Cumbria (NY 3725 0340), during 2011 and 2012. The consolidation works concentrated on the exposed remains of the stone fort. This report is intended to present the varied artefact assemblage in a manner accessible to members of the volunteer force who carried out the collection.
In all, some 1150 fragments of artefacts, weighing a minimum of 73.862kg, were submitted for analysis. They ranged from Romano-British coarsewares and imported finewares to fragments of brick and tile and other building materials, including dressed stone. The finds were subdivided by material and broadly by function. The earliest material included pottery of late first- to second-century date, the latest pottery and glass being dated to the twentieth century, and some may well have been deposited in the course of excavations in the early twentieth century. Evidence gained from the finds fits neatly with conclusions drawn from excavations undertaken in 1914 (Collingwood 1915), 1982 (Leech 1993) and in 1990-3 (Drury and Dunwell 2004), and contribute towards enhancing the understanding of the appearance of, and activity within, the Roman fort.