Located in the heart of the Historic Quarter of Carlisle between the Castle and the Cathedral, Tullie House is one of the top visitor attractions in Cumbria.

Tullie House attracts over 250,000 people every year and offers visitors a rich diversity of experiences, along with being the guardian of extensive archives including those relating to Hadrian’s Wall which passes a few hundred yards from the museum.

Prior to the Roman Frontier Gallery, the last major development was the creation of a new Millennium Gallery and first floor Rotunda viewing platform in 2001. The Roman Frontier Gallery was formerly a subterranean exhibition space measuring some 500 square metres. It has now been transformed into a stunning, state of the art visitor experience telling the story of what life was like in Carlisle when the powerful Roman army built a massive wall that still bisects Britain today.

The gallery focuses on telling stories, using the museum collections to explore a range of diverse everyday subjects such as living conditions, religion, trade, fashion and hygiene. However, it also very innovatively invites the visitor to compare life 2000 years ago with frontier life today; to reflect on whether war zones like Iraq or Palestine are any different from the militarised northwest frontier zone created by the Roman army.

Many of the exhibits in the gallery (like the Sewell’s Lane Jug) are of ‘national’ quality, because the development of the new gallery has been a partnership between Tullie House, the British Museum and Hadrian’s Wall Heritage. Objects such as the Iron Age Embleton Sword and the busts of the three Emperors: Vespasian, Hadrian and Severus, sit comfortably alongside jewellery, leatherwork, pottery, building materials and armour from the museum’s own rich collections.

A number of these precious artefacts are housed in TESS Demountable cases chosen for their flexibility, security, and clean design.

The gallery is aimed at the old and the young, the informed and the novice, and blends learning with fun; it tells stories in an accessible way; it features stunning objects; and it poses questions and opportunities to reflect on whether life in the North West of England was really that much different from frontier life today.

The rich history of Tullie House can be explored in depth either by visiting personally or by visiting the website at www.tulliehouse.co.uk