Gatehouse to reopen during Roman festival

The Lunt Roman Festival will take place in August

A key feature at one of Coventry’s Roman sites is set to reopen to the public for the first time in a decade.

Visitors will be able to access the 30ft viewing platform on Lunt Roman Fort’s gatehouse in Baginton during the Lunt Roman Festival on 3 and 4 August.

The platform has been off limits for about 10 years while work was carried out to renovate the ramparts, which were initially reconstructed in 1974.

Lisa Ford, head of learning and engagement at CV Life, which operates the fort, said she was “delighted” to have the gatehouse back at its "full potential".

She said: “The gatehouse is such a symbolic part of the Lunt Roman Fort, as it was the original column posts of this structure that led to the whole site initially being discovered in Baginton.”

Almost 2,000 people are expected to attend the two-day festival, which will include horse-mounted battle re-enactments for the first time.

Darren Tosh, a director at Shakespeare’s England, said: “The Lunt Roman Fort is one of our region’s hidden gems, so it’s fantastic to see them expanding their offering in preparation for one of their biggest weekends of the year.

“Alongside our medieval castles in Warwick and Kenilworth, and being home to one of the world’s greatest playwrights, the Lunt Roman Fort underlines our region’s broad and proud history that is so vital to the prosperity of the area.”

Tickets for the festival are available on the Lunt Roman Fort website.