4. The North Gate

The North Gate is a modern reconstruction of a Roman gateway. It was built in 1922.

In Roman times, this gate led onto the main road – the ‘Via Julia’ – running between the forts at Caerleon and Camarthen. And there may well have been a similar gateway guarding the southern entrance to the Castle, on the opposite side of the Green.

The two projecting towers – or bastions – flanking the gate contain the Roman Guard Chambers and look-out positions. They connect with the battlemented wall walk which runs around the whole site.

Take a closer look at the stonework here on the North Gate.

You’ll see there’s a change of colour a metre or so above the ground.  At the bottom, are the areas of original Roman stonework. These are clearly marked by a boundary of red stone. Above this line, all the stonework is modern reconstruction.