The town was first established as the Roman fort Alauna in around AD 122 as a command and supply base for the coastal defences of Hadrian's Wall at its western extremity. There are substantial remains of the Roman fort, which was the last in a series of forts stretching southwards along the coast from Hadrian's Wall, aimed at preventing the wall being avoided by a crossing of the Solway Firth. Recent geomagnetic surveys have revealed a large Roman town surrounding the fort. A recent archaeological dig discovered evidence of a second, earlier and larger fort next to, and partially under the present remains. After the Roman withdrawal from Britain the town was soon reduced in size and importance.
On Castle Hill are the earthworks and buried remains of a twelfth century motte and bailey castle. On the summit are the foundations of a World War II gun emplacement.
Taken from Wikipedia entry for Maryport
Senhouse Museum
Dramatically sited on the cliffs overlooking the Solway
Firth, this award winning museum is next to a Roman fort probably founded in
the first Century AD and rebuilt during the reign of Hadrian. The fort was an
important element in the complex frontier system known as Hadrian's Wall. The
museum displays the largest group of Roman military altar stones and
inscriptions from any site in Britain and unique examples of Romano-British
religious sculpture.
The collection, which was begun by the Senhouse family in
the 1570s, is the oldest in the country, and is of international importance.
Most of the objects in the Museum derive from the fort at
Maryport and the Roman civil settlement attached to it. In the Museum grounds, you
can climb the observation tower for a clear view of the full extent of the
site, which recent geophysical survey has revealed to have been one of the
largest and best preserved in the north.
Click here to visit the website for the museum.
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