Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre - Sandwich

Graham C.

Super place to visit in fair weather. Small new museum. The EH volunteers were very helpful and knowledgeable. Go carefully on the last mile if driving. Keep an eye out for passing spaces!

Julien L.

Epic slice of history on our doorstep.
Good audio guide & passionate volunteers.
Recommend you fuel up at the Wakeboard centre @ Whitemills cafe opposite first.
Go and drop yourself in Roman times & have a wander.

Michelle C.

Great place to visit on a dry day. The staff are so helpful and knowledgeable. The indoor museum has interesting artefacts and few things for kids to do. No cafe but they have a coffee machine and icecreams and gift shop lovely walking round. The audio tour is good though goes on a bit for kids as it's pod casts, maybe need separate one for kids. Well worth a visit. Really sets the mood for when Romans first came to England, how it was when Thanet was an island.

Ashley L.

The site where the Romans put feet on the ground of England, although the sea has now been replaced with a railway. There is a nice little museum with artefacts from digs of the site, a model of the arch that once stood in the middle and an explanation of the site. There is a guide book or audio guide and information boards around the site. You can climb the replica gate although the final steps are a bit steep. Large parts of the walls and defense ditches remain and the outline of some buildings. There was a very knowledgeable volunteer on site who will happily answer any questions and discuss the site with you. Toilets on site in the carpark.

Just be aware there is a narrow lane with a level crossing that has cameras to catch any light jumpers

Robert M.

This is a really interesting historical site to visit. I wasn't even aware of it until a few days ago. It's easily found off the main Ash Road down a rather narrow and winding road. There's a large and gravelled car park. Toilets (composting) are next to the car park and are clean and functional. The entrance to the visitor centre is a short walk along a gravelled path. You'll need to have your QR codes scanned for entry and you'll be offered an English language audio guide to use on your visit. This is really useful to use in conjunction with the info boards to gain a better understanding of what you're looking at. Parts of the outer walls of the fort still remain and are still in pretty good condition considering they were constructed 1,700-1,800 years ago. The outer & inner fort ditch defences have all been carefully excavated. On the western side of the fort a wooden replica gateway has been constructed. The replica has been constructed in the same style as those found throughout Europe and has been constructed on the exact footprint of the original fort gateway. There are excellent views of the site and surrounding countryside from the upper levels. The remainder of the interior contains the remains of the baptismal font, the bath house, the mansio (hotel for visiting bigwigs), the church and the Monumental Arch which in its day would've been spectacular. Any visiting merchant just arriving would be in no doubt that they were entering Roman Britannia. The visitor centre also contains a small but interesting museum, a gift shop and there's also cold/hot drinks, ice creams, etc for sale. There's a small garden behind the visitor centre and a 2nd hand book hut. There's also 5 picnic tables by the visitor centre. Staff we encountered were friendly and welcoming. Virtually the entire site is flat and wheelchair/buggy friendly. The only thing that isn't disabled friendly is the replica gateway. Dogs on leads are welcome. Summary: a terrific ancient, historical site. So much history. A real hidden gem in the depths of the Kent countryside. Really well done by English Heritage. PS: the amphitheatre is about 5-10 mins walk away. Apart from an info board it looks like a cultivated field. The walkway entrance is about 10 metres north past the junction with the fort driveway and Richborough Road. PSS: book online to save 15% on entry fee!

Michael L.

Recently upgraded site which is now much improved and well worth a visit.
The new museum is excellent and really sets the scene before wandering through the ruins.
The site itself is much more accessible and the features are better presented and explained.
The latest audio guide technology is included in the entrance fee and really enhances the experience.
Well done English Heritage.

philip B.

Arrived at Richborough Castle on a lovely sunny day and very excited, having been there before when I was at junior School in the 1960's.

The Castle is now open to the public again.
Very easy access and easy parking, including Disabled parking closer to the entrance.

Pre booking your visit online is an option which is very easy to do and you get a discount.

You are given the option of using an audio storyteller, which describes every detail of the site as you travel around the site tapping on the information board as you go or can just simply read the boards information to get an understanding of the Roman occupation.
There is also the option of buying a guidebook.

I have to say that the toilets are in need of a little TLC and some attention is needed in the cleanliness of this neglected area.

There has been a new and exciting addition with a wooden structure you can climb up the stairs which are very steep and narrow on the final stage to the viewing point which gives 360 degrees of viewing of the site never seen before since the ancient Roman times. You get a really great view of the whole site from the gantry.

There is an Amphitheatre just over the road from the main site in field, just be mindful of any wandering cows that may be in the proximity. The site is infilled with earth and grass growing but with a dip indicating the where the actual Amphitheatre is and may at some point in the future be exposed to reveal is stone formation below.
The walk to it. is on uneven ground, so you should be fit enough to attempt the journey from the main site and back. Enjoy the view.

I spent about an hour and a half looking and listening and walking around the site and another thirty minutes in the museum, which is absolutely amazing with great site finds. The gift shop has a good range of gifts reasonably priced to be able to take home a souvenir.
There are a few refreshments to be bought if needed while you are there.

The staff are very informative and very welcoming and very keen you have a great experience on your visit to the site and I greatly enjoyed talking to them.

Not far from the town Sandwich if you are looking for the locality which is in Kent

Jamie W.

We visited here during the summer with out 3 children aged between 4-8. We all had a wonderful time. The staff and volunteers are full of so much knowledge! They gave the children a little history lesson about the site which they thoroughly enjoyed. There was a guided tour - for free! - for anyone visiting who wanted to go along. Would highly recommend visiting here. There isn't a cafe but you can take a packed lunch with you. The site overall isn't very big but we managed to spend about 3 hours here.