£2m bid accepted to save Binchester Roman fort

Church Commissioners have announced that they are accepting a £2million bid by the Auckland Castle Trust to save Binchester Roman Town.

The Auckland Castle Trust launched a bid in August to prevent Binchester being bought by developers when the church put the remains up for sale in two parts.

Dr Chris Ferguson, Auckland Castle’s head curator, said he was delighted the settlement dubbed the ‘Pompeii of the North’ would remain as one entity for the benefit of everyone.

The Church Commissioners put 10 plots on the market with Binchester contained within lots five and six.

The fort a mile from Auckland Castle hit the international headlines in the summer when it was revealed archaeologists had uncovered some of the most 'exciting historical finds in living memory'. These include a bath house with seven foot high walls, painted plaster, its original floor, doorways and window openings and an inscribed altar dedication to the Roman Goddess Fortune the Home-bringer.