This is the first in a new series of events taking us to the sites of forts in Derbyshire, with the first being the Roman fort in Castrafeld - now known as Chesterfield.
Forts were commonplace in Derbyshire from the Iron Age through to the Roman occupation & beyond. They pre-date more substantial castles, which were introduced by the Normans. Although forts were built primarily for defence, settlements often grew up around them & when the soldiers moved on, these settlements sometimes remained.
Castrafeld means 'field with standing walls' & dates from around AD55 when the fort was first laid out, with the centre just west of the current Crooked Spire church, St. Mary's. Construction would have been of timber, with clay & turf ramparts. The original fort was demolished & rebuilt around AD80 on a smaller scale & as the area became more peaceful, the fort was first used for metalworking before eventually being abandoned around AD140. Archaeological digs have produced finds which have allowed us to identify & date the various areas as they have been redeveloped over recent years.
This event will allow us to meet up safely outdoors to chat & exchange trackables. There is seating at the event coordinates but should the weather be inclement, we may adjourn to the warmth of a nearby hostelry!
I have provided a waypoint for the nearest pay & display car park, but there are plenty of other places to park & you may even be able to find some free on street parking. Chesterfield has good public transport links by bus & rail. There are also lots of caches in & around Chesterfield, if you haven't found them previously. There may even be a new cache published for the occasion...