ABSTRACT
This case study examines how Vindolanda Trust has achieved a sustainable model for archaeological research financed by tourism on Hadrian’s Wall at the Roman site of Vindolanda. The Vindolanda Trust is an archaeological charitable trust, founded in 1970, and is exclusively financed by visitors who come to see its two sites and museums along the line of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. It is a unique organization in the British archaeological landscape that successfully combines archaeological research with the needs and requirements of its primary stakeholders, the tourists who visit the site. Throughout its operations, the Vindolanda Trust has had to rely upon revenue generated by the visits of the public to fund its excavation/ research program. Without this direct funding, and an enthusiastic core of hard-working volunteers, progress would have been minimal. Conflicts with authorities (quasi non-governmental organizations/ university academics, and county council archaeologists), more accustomed to the minimalistic administration of the state’s ancient monuments, was inevitable. For example, the construction of full-scale replicas of sections of Hadrian’s Wall in the early 1970s seemed to be highly informative and educational to the Vindolanda Trusts staff. However, the county planners disapproved of Hadrian’s design because there were no damp proofing or permeable membranes, and the windows were too small for modern housing. The Ancient Monuments Board for England and Wales wrote to inform the Trust that by building such things it was “bringing the integrity of Britain’s ancient monuments into disrepute.” Fortunately, the visiting general public did not agree.
