Big finds are already being made at a community excavation centred around the site of a former Roman bathhouse in Carlisle.

The dig, at Carlisle Cricket Club, Stanwix, started on Tuesday, August 31 and is part of a heritage project – called the Uncovering Roman Carlisle project – that has recently received a £99,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The funding will help deliver an 18-month programme of community archaeological investigation, exhibitions, and engagement exploring Carlisle’s Roman remains.

Over 200 volunteers have already signed up to take part in the excavation, which is also being supervised by professional archaeologists.

One of them, Declan Burton, from Carlisle, said it has opened his eyes to the history of the city he grew up in.

“It seems like it was a really international place that was really at the centre of the Roman Empire,” said Declan, who has so far helped uncover black-burnished wear – a type of table wear – and medieval glazed pots.

“Anything you dig out, like an old roof tile, hasn’t seen the light of day until you have excavated it.”

Declan, who is also a civil servant, said having the opportunity to be part of the dig was a dream come true for someone who has “grown up watching Time Team”.

He added: “It’s a good way to utilise my time and give back to Carlisle.”

The Roman bathhouse was discovered in 2017, on a site based within the grounds of Carlisle Cricket Club in Stanwix.

The team are also uncovering what is believed to be a Roman road.

Another community digger, Evelyn Kelly, said it has been “very exciting” to be part of the dig and that it has also given her a new perspective of the place she calls home.

“I’ve walked across [Eden Bridge] so many times and I was totally unaware as to what was on my own doorstep.

“This can only be good for the city and I’m sure it will put Carlisle on the map.

“Every shovel full of soil you dig up is done with bated breath and anticipation that you’re going to find something.

“When you do find something of significance, it’s so rewarding and that’s what spurs you on.”

Among some of the finds that have been made so far, which includes endless shards of marked pottery and animal bones, is a coin commemorating the founding of Constantinople as the new capital of the Roman Empire in 330 AD, a candlestick, and a quern stone from Germany.

One of the biggest discoveries that could be made at the excavation could be uncovering the true purpose of the building that is thought to be the bathhouse.

Lead archaeologist on site, Frank Giecco, said the building could be more than just a bathhouse.

“It’s far too big to just be a bathhouse.

“The question is – what else is it?

“If we can prove that [Carlisle] had this link to the Imperial Court for a short while, it would have been the centre of the Roman Empire politically, but we need to prove that.

“That could be another inscription or letter dating. We’ve got five weeks to answer that question.

“Whatever it is, it’s still a very important building.”

Carlisle City Council’s Portfolio holder for Communities, Health and Wellbeing, Elizabeth Mallinson, said she would eventually like to see the findings displayed in an on-site exhibition.

She said: “I would like to see it as a tourist attraction and if needs be an annex of the museum.

“We would need English Heritage’s permission and the site has flooded, which there are concerns about.

“I do think we deserve to have an annex of the museum there to show the world what Carlisle was like 2000 years ago.

“We are on Hadrian’s Wall and I think we must take from that everything that we can.”