Roman bathhouse dig wins three national awards

The finds, including two Roman head sculptures, have been displayed at Carlisle's Tullie House Museum

A community-based archaeological excavation of a Roman bathhouse on the site of a cricket club has won three national awards.

More than 2,000 items - including pottery, weapons, coins and semi-precious stones - have been found at the Carlisle Cricket Club site since 2021.

The Uncovering Roman Carlisle project has now been recognised for its training work and for involving members of the public.

Lead archaeologist Frank Giecco said the awards reflected the hard work of local residents who "come to support the project rain and shine".

Mr Giecco, technical director at consultancy firm Wardell Armstrong, said he had not expected "such a great result".

The Roman bathhouse was discovered in 2017, with the excavation undertaken by local volunteers under the supervision of professional archaeologists.

The well-preserved heads have been described as "rare and priceless"

The site is located on what was once a cobbled Roman road, which was unearthed in November.

Some of the finds have been described as being of "international significance", with a pair of Roman god sculptures discovered in May thought to date back as far as AD200.

Many have since been displayed in Tullie House Museum in Carlisle.

The project has now won two Council for British Archaeology's archaeological achievement awards for "public dissemination or presentation" and "learning, training and skills".

It also won the Society for Museum Archaeology's engagement project of the year award, with one judge saying the project "clearly demonstrates the benefits of engaging volunteers with archaeological excavation".

More than 200 beads have also been found at the Carlisle Cricket Club site

Anna Smalley, Tullie House's head of collections and engagement, said staff at the museum were so "so proud that Uncovering Roman Carlisle is getting the recognition it deserves" at a national level.

"It's been a project that has had so many impacts across the community in terms of supporting well-being, skills development and fostering a real sense of pride in Carlisle's history," she said.

The Digging Deeper: Uncovering Roman Carlisle exhibition, which includes the two huge carved Roman heads and a large collection of Roman gemstones, has been extended to run until 23 December.