Roman Sites for Kids in England

Wherever your family travels in England, you won’t be far from a Roman site where children can walk in the footsteps of Romans who occupied England nearly 2,000 years ago. From the time they first study them in school, most kids are fascinated by the Romans, and several of these sites have programs especially designed to engage kids.

Major sites like Chester, Fishbourne, Bath and Hadrian’s Wall are worth a dedicated trip, while others are certainly worth a stop if you’re nearby.

The largest Roman home found in Britain is Fishbourne, on the southern coast in Chichester, about 1.5 hours by train from London. The first-century home is known for beautiful mosaic floors and Roman gardens. Family-friendly activities bring it to life, as does the film recreating its original appearance.

Portsmouth is nearby, the ferry point for trips to The Isle of Wight, where you’ll find the large Brading Roman Villa, which was in use for more than three centuries. You’ll see all 12 of the ground-floor rooms, one with an outstanding mosaic floor.

Closest to London and about an hour’s drive to the west is Calleva Atrebatum, where you can see the city’s layout from the excavated walls. At the edge of the city are the remains of the amphitheater. Although not as visually compelling to children, it’s worth a stop on your way to Bath. Kids will want to know the Roman road connecting the town to London was known as The Devil’s Highway.

Farther west, Bath is a charmer that would be worth visiting even without its well-preserved Roman baths. The largest outside of Rome and one of the best-preserved Roman sites anywhere, these baths are complete with a large hot water bath, steam bath, cold water bath, boiler rooms and elaborate heating system below the floors.

North of Bath, near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, Chedworth Roman Villa dates from 210 A.D. and was enlarged a century later. The mosaic floors are breathtaking, and like all National Trust sites, the place is well interpreted.

Farther north, near Liverpool, the Roman town of Chester preserves a large oval Roman amphitheater, about two-fifths of which is visible; in the excavated part, two entrances have been exposed. At the Roman Legion fortress, excavated in the 1990s, kids can join historically themed activities such as creating a mosaic or trying on Roman armor.

In the far north, along England’s border with Scotland, the 73-mile Hadrian’s Wall is Britain’s largest Roman remain. Towers, gates and barracks are spaced along the wall and, at Housesteads Roman Fort, you can learn about the soldier’s life in an interactive museum with real Roman artifacts. A film sets the scene for kids.