Senhouse Roman Museum: Preserving the Roman Fort Alauna in Maryport, England

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.senhousemuseum.co.uk

Country: United Kingdom

Civilization: Roman

Remains: Museum

History

The site of the Senhouse Roman Museum is located in Maryport, Cumbria, England, near the remains of a Roman fort known as Alauna. This fort was established by the Romans during the early 2nd century CE as part of a series of coastal defenses linked to Hadrian’s Wall. Positioned along the Cumbrian coast, the fort likely served as a key supply base supporting the Roman military presence in northern Britain.

Alauna was garrisoned by a regiment originally recruited from Spain. Commanders of the fort came from various regions of the Roman Empire, including North Africa, Romania, Austria, and Italy. The first recorded commander was Marcus Agrippa, a member of a distinguished Italian family connected to Emperor Hadrian. His leadership at Maryport marked an important stage in his career before he advanced to command the Roman fleet around Britain and later became second in command of the province of Britannia.

The collection of Roman artifacts from the fort began in 1570 when John Senhouse, Lord of the Manor of Ellenborough, gathered inscribed stones and altars from the fort and the nearby civilian settlement. In the 18th century, Colonel Humphrey Senhouse took steps to preserve and document carved stonework while much of the Roman fort was dismantled for building materials. Notably, the northeast gate arch of the fort was salvaged and reassembled as the chancel arch of Crosscanonby Church.

Netherhall mansion, which housed many of the Roman stones collected by the Senhouse family, was vacated in 1962 and later suffered deterioration. A fire in 1979 destroyed much of the building, leaving only the 14th-century Solar Tower standing. In 1965, Roger Senhouse and archaeologist Brian Ashmore rescued around 125 items from the ruins and moved them to the mansion’s coach house. The collection was relocated in 1990 to the Battery, a former naval artillery drill hall built in 1885, where the museum is now situated. The Senhouse Museum Trust, a charitable organization, manages the museum, which marked its 30th anniversary of public opening in 2020.

Remains

The Roman fort at Maryport, known as Alauna, was constructed in the 2nd century CE as part of the coastal defense system linked to Hadrian’s Wall. It was built using typical Roman military construction techniques, including stone walls and gates. The fort’s layout included a northeast gate, which has been preserved and later reused as the chancel arch of Crosscanonby Church, illustrating the recycling of Roman stonework in medieval architecture.

The museum’s collection features a large number of inscribed stones and sculptures recovered from both the fort and the adjacent civilian settlement. Among these are 22 Roman altars dedicated by the fort’s commanders to Jupiter, the chief deity in Roman religion, reflecting the religious practices of the garrison stationed at Alauna. Many of these stones were originally embedded in the walls of Netherhall mansion before being salvaged.

The museum itself is housed in the Battery, a building constructed in 1885 as a drill hall for the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers. This structure now serves as the exhibition space for the Roman artifacts. A reconstructed watchtower at the museum offers views over the fort site, the civilian settlement, and the surrounding landscape, including the Lake District and the Solway Firth.

Today, the original Netherhall mansion remains in poor condition, with only the 14th-century Solar Tower surviving after fire and vandalism. The Roman fort’s northeast gate arch remains the most notable surviving architectural element from the original Roman construction, preserved through its reuse in a local church.