BIRRENS (Blatobulgium)		Quality of Remains
		Ease of Access
		Atmosphere & Setting

History:

The origin of the Birrens or Blatobulgium (Flowering Hill) fort is unknown, though it is known that the Twentieth Legion were the builders. It was probably built around 80 AD under the governor Agricola; other than that a Hadrianic date is definite. Certainly the first Cohort of Nervians were resident by 140-145 AD. A rebuilding in the mid second century was more likely by the Sixth Legion. The last date of occupation is around 180 AD.

Occupation:

As well as the Twentieth and the Sixth, unusual Legions are also attested by stones here, specifically two that are not normally to be found in Britain, the Eighth and Twenty Second. The first auxiliary unit to be based at Birrens was a thousand strong mixed horse and foot cohort of Nervians and they were later replaced by the 2nd Cohort of Tungrians a unit of equal strength.

Remains and Visit:

On land open to the visitor at any time, the internal buildings of Birrens are not visible, but the fort platform and its ramparts are easily discernable. The south and east ramparts are particularly visible, as are the defensive ditches outside the north wall. The small amount of stonework visible in the southeast corner of the fort actually belong not to the fort wall, but to internal buildings. Landslides in the past have removed some of the south east area of the fort, revealing internal stonework. Despite the lack of consolidated remains, there is something about the site to draw the Roman enthusiast and I found walking the ramparts to make for a lovely fifteen minutes.

Images:

East Rampart	Northern ditch system	Stonework in Southeast corner