Gazetteer of
British Place Names

Vinovia (aka Vinovium or Binchester) was a Roman fort and settlement situated a mile north of Bishop Auckland on the banks of the River Wear in County Durham. It was probably established around AD 79 to guard the crossing of the River Wear by Dere Street, the main Roman road between York, Hadrian's Wall and Scotland, and also the fort's main street. Sitting atop a hill 49 feet above the Wear, for a time it was one of the largest Roman military installations in the whole of northern Britain. Vinovia is a sizeable fort, covering about 12 acres. An extensive civilian settlement (vicus) existed to the north and west of the fort, the remains of which are buried under the pastures of Binchester Hall Farm. The southern part of the fort is now beneath Binchester Hall, while some of the defences were destroyed in a landslip in the 19th century. Part of the stone bridge on which Dere Street crossed the River Wear can still be seen when the river is low. It is within the council area of County Durham. More...
Historic England Scheduled Monument 1002362.

Place Type: Roman Remains
Historic County: Durham
Lat, Long: 54.676026,-1.6762788
Grid Reference: NZ 2097 3126
Council Area: County Durham CA
Strategic Authority Area: North East SA
Police Area: Durham PA

GBPN ID: 305347
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Vinovia,_Durham_305347

 Peruse Durham on Wikishire

Although the Roman occupation of Britain ended officially around AD 410, the area around Binchester seems to have remained occupied by the local population. By the early 6th century, a small Anglo-Saxon cemetery had been founded, and the demolition of the fort's buildings for reclamation of the materials had started, some of which were eventually used in the construction of the nearby 7th-century Escomb Church. A hamlet and manor house survived at Binchester until the late Middle Ages.

The site of the manor house is now occupied by the 17th-century Binchester Hall.