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 have transformed our site into a modern visitor attraction, which was last rated 5 Stars by Visit Scotland. At our present day Museum you can 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. We are the only museum in Scotland dedicated to the story of Roman And Iron Age Scotland, and proud winner of the 2023 Best Visitor Attraction Thistle Award (South of Scotland) and Best Accessible Attraction Thistle Award (South of Scotland & National) 2024.
Visitors can also opt to do our VR experience where, using the latest technology, we can take you back 2000years to the Trimontium Fort and explore its features, as well as learning more about what happened to the native peoples who had lived in our lands for centuries preceding the Roman invasion.We also have an active programme of special events and workshops, suitable for all ages and abilities.
The Trimontium Museum operates walks to the Trimontium Fort site where you can stand on the very ground where the Romans once marched. 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, operate every Thursday (April-October).
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.
