Scotland's Only Museum dedicated to Roman and Iron Age Scotland
The Trimontium Museum tells the story of one of the largest Roman sites north of Hadrian's Wall. Trimontium - its Roman name meaning 'place of the three hills' - was a frontier post used as a base for Roman incursions further north. Situated in the village of Newstead, the fort was overlooked by the Eildon Hills, the largest of which was home to a native hill fort, just one of many in the area.
Excavated between 1905-10, by a local lawyer and amateur archaeologist, Dr James Curle, a wealth of Roman material was discovered at Trimontium, including domestic items, cavalry and military equipment. Over the following decades, further investigations and digs have taken place at the Newstead site, revealing further hidden secrets and adding new details to Trimontium's story, which we are delighted to share with our visitors. Trimontium is even home to the most northerly amphitheatre found - so far -in the Roman Empire.
There has been a museum in Melrose dedicated to Trimontium for over thirty years and now, thanks to funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, South of Scotland Enterprise and LIVE Borders, we are transforming our site into a modern visitor attraction, opening in mid-Summer 2021. At our new Museum you will be able to see some of the many treasures excavated from Trimontium and the local area, as well as other Roman and Iron Age artefacts which will illustrate what life was like at the very edge of the Roman Empire.
Until we open the Trimontium Museum, you can find our temporary exhibition at Abbey House, just opposite Melrose Abbey. There you can find out more about the story of Trimontium and see just some of the artefacts we have in our collection. Entry is free to our temporary museum, open from May 2021.
The Trimontium. Museum also run walks to the Trimontium site where you can stand on the very ground where the fort lies today. Although little can be seen of the fort, as it is under arable land, Trimontium has a number of interpretation panels along the route to help visitors understand where they are and what buildings would have stood at the site. Our guided Trimontium Walks, running every Thursday at 1pm, bring the site to life further by having a volunteer guide to give you additonal insight into the story of the fort and the local area.
New for 2021, the Melrose Town Trail tells the story of the beautiful Borders town of Melrose, every Friday at 1 pm. From your guide, learn about the history of this Abbey town, nestling beneath the iconic Eildon Hills and see landmarks from the town's medieval past to recent times,including the Greenyards,the famous Home Ground of Rugby Sevens. You'll also be able to take in stunning views of the beautiful RiverTweed and experience the tranquillity of this special place.
The Trimontium museum and walks are both volunteer run. Our volunteers come from all walks of life but share a common love of history and the local area and delight in sharing it with our visitors.
