Conquering Caerleon
Exploring one of Britain’s best, yet least-known, Roman towns
A huge roar erupts from the six-thousand-seater venue as I step nervously between the large stone embankments into the heart of the rugby-ball-shaped amphitheatre.
Suddenly, Russell Crowe comes charging towards me, his sword, sparkling in the sunlight, is directed right at me, and he holds his circular shield defensively in front of his chest. I stand my ground, waiting for the right moment, where I’ll leap high into the air, somersault over his head and then…
“Uncle Simon, will you play football with me, please?” my nephew calls.
Lying on my back, enjoying the sunshine, I open one eye and see my nephew standing beside me with his favourite football tucked under his arm. Russell Crowe will have to wait.
“This is like a football stadium!” my nephew shouts as he runs across the vast grassy arena.
He’s right. The sense of space in the middle of this Roman amphitheatre’s remains is overwhelming. It’s easy to imagine what life was like here, back in AD75, when five and a half thousand Roman legionaries lived in the Roman town of Isca. Today, we know this little-known town as Caerleon, which sits 20 miles north east of Cardiff, Wales, on a tight bend of the River Usk.
