The village of Ribchester with the outlying hamlet of Stydd is situated in the picturesque Ribble Valley in the heart of rural Lancashire. Ribchester grew out of the ruins of the Roman fort of Bremetenaccum and the Parish Church of St Wilfrid's stands where the principal buildings of the fort would have been.
Join my flight starting over the River Ribble and head towards the beautiful church before we look at the remains of the masonry walls of several rooms belonging to a Roman bath complex from the 2nd century CE. The church is built on top of the Roman fort of Bremetennacum Veteranorum, and stones from the fort are built into the fabric of the church (indeed, a former rector claimed that two Doric pillars supporting the organ loft came from the Roman fort). A similar pair of pillars support the porch of the White Bull Hotel nearby.
The fort was established in the late 1st or early 2nd century AD and grew to become a substantial and important cavalry fort, with a sizeable town growing up around it. It seems likely that by the 6th century the town, which became known as Riblecastre, would have had a small wooden church, probably on the site of the old Roman Principium.
Music: As Baile (2008 Remaster) · Enya
Paul.
Join my flight starting over the River Ribble and head towards the beautiful church before we look at the remains of the masonry walls of several rooms belonging to a Roman bath complex from the 2nd century CE. The church is built on top of the Roman fort of Bremetennacum Veteranorum, and stones from the fort are built into the fabric of the church (indeed, a former rector claimed that two Doric pillars supporting the organ loft came from the Roman fort). A similar pair of pillars support the porch of the White Bull Hotel nearby.
The fort was established in the late 1st or early 2nd century AD and grew to become a substantial and important cavalry fort, with a sizeable town growing up around it. It seems likely that by the 6th century the town, which became known as Riblecastre, would have had a small wooden church, probably on the site of the old Roman Principium.
Music: As Baile (2008 Remaster) · Enya
Paul.
