An archaeological dig at Carlisle Cricket Club will end on Saturday.
The dig got underway on Monday May 22 and was extended until this weekend.
Over the past six weeks, the excavation has attracted national and international media attention after two Roman monumental heads were uncovered.
The site continues to be active and is open to the public between Monday and Saturday. Tours of the site are held at 11.30am and 3pm on each of these days.
More than 600 school children have visited the site this summer, and there have been more than 1,000 significant finds, and over 1,200 days given by volunteers in all phases of the project since 2021.
An ongoing survey of the volunteer diggers has shown that residents from all backgrounds have taken part.
The 2023 Uncovering Roman Carlisle project was given £56,700 by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund.
The project is supported by a partnership of Cumberland Council, Carlisle Cricket Club, and Wardell Armstrong LLP.
Frank Giecco, technical director at Wardell Armstrong, said: “The complexity of the building has grown as has its size. The finds have reinforced how high-status the building once was, amazing bits of sculpture and architectural features.
“We get ‘wow’ finds every day. The Facebook group has grown to around 1,000 members from all over the world, the level of interest has been utterly fantastic.
“It’s been everything from local, to national, to international – and as ever we’re all just blown away by the kindness, enthusiasm, and generosity of the team on site, the project partners, local people, and the volunteers who are helping to make this possible.
“Thanks to additional support from Cumberland Council and the generous donation of plant by RH Irving, and recently we’ve had additional machinery on the site by Story Construction, and it’s helped confirm the size of the building has grown, we’ve got plenty to keep us busy in future!
“We’ve been able to carefully uncover even more of this unique building and extend the dig once again. With a site as surprising as this, who knows what more we might discover about Carlisle’s past in the extra days.”
Leader of Cumberland Council, Mark Fryer, added: “I have visited the project site a number of times, and been very impressed by the dedication, hard work, and professionalism of the whole team. A big thanks to Wardell Armstrong and all the volunteers that have taken part. All phases of the project have exceeded our expectations and have given Carlisle something more to be proud of.
“The impact this project has had on raising the profile of Carlisle Roman history and location on Hadrian’s Wall UNESCO site is profound. Most significantly, as a community project based in an urban area hundreds of residents have been involved in engaging with their heritage directly.”
Hundreds of volunteers signed up to take part in the dig. Project partners are exploring the opportunity for future excavations and a wider plan for the project to display the discoveries in Carlisle.
