THE Duchess of Northumberland marked a milestone in the preservation of Hadrian’s Wall country at an official opening yesterday.

She visited Vindolanda Roman fort and its sister site, the Roman Army Museum at Carvoran, to open museums and displays at both sites.

The new facilities represent the culmination of £6m worth of investment, intended to underline Hadrian’s Wall as one of the world’s key historical tourist attractions. The radical revamp formed part of a project backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and One North East.

At Carvoran, seven miles west of Vindolanda, life on the Roman frontier is also explored in a new 3D film, The Eagle’s Eye – Edge of Empire, made by Newcastle’s Dene Films.

Vindolanda has also been given a purpose-built, temperature controlled room dedicated to a selection of writing tablets, first discovered at the fort in the 1970s, which have returned to Northumberland on loan from the British Museum.

The fort also has the new Hedley Centre, an archaeology and educational centre which will include accommodation for some of the 600 volunteer excavators who work at the fort throughout the year.

The Duchess said: “The fact that there are 600 volunteers at Vindolanda tells you that it is something special. It is so important that we have something like this in Northumberland.”

Patricia Birley, director of the Vindolanda Trust, said: “We are thrilled about the developments at our sites and we are confident they will make a significant contribution to the economy.

“We are delighted with how the sites have been transformed and we have had one of the best starts to the visitor season ever on the back of this project.

“If the trust had not made its funding applications when it did and had not been successful, it would have been almost impossible to deliver this project in the current climate.

“In a recession you have to plan for recovery. If you sit tight and do nothing you won’t be in a position to benefit when the upturn comes.”

Linda Tuttiett, chief executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, predicted that the upgrades at both sites and the opening of the new Roman Frontier gallery at Tullie House Museum in Carlisle in July could mean an extra £3m a year for the local economy.

“The Vindolanda Trust project is a major investment and a shining examples of what can happen all along the Wall. It gives is cause for optimism,” she said.

Lord Foster, who was chairman of the North East Heritage Lottery Fund committee which supported the scheme, said: “I hope it helps people see what wonderful heritage we have in the region.”

Northumberland County Council chief executive Steve Stewart said: “We saw from the Lighting Hadrian’s Wall event how much money can be generated for the local economy.

“This exciting project helps build a critical mass of things to see so that visitors spend more time here.”

Vindolanda attracts around 85,000 visitors a year and Carvoran 45,000 and figures for both are expected to be boosted.