THE latest North-East attraction on the Roman Wall has been awarded two more accolades within months of opening.

Segedunum Roman Fort, on North Tyneside, was named Heritage Centre of the Year and Northumbria Family Attraction of the Year by The Good Britain Guide, an independent publication detailing the country's visitor attractions.

It follows a Heritage in Britain nomination in the British Archaeological Awards and North Tyneside's Visitor Attraction of the Year award, already announced for Segedunum.

Since it opened in June, more than 38,000 people have visited the Wallsend site, 20 per cent up on the numbers forecast.

Curator Bill Griffiths said the latest accolade is testimony to the way the entire history of Wallsend, from the Roman occupation to modern times, has been interpreted.

Visitors discover what life was like for legionaries on the northern outpost of the Roman Empire, with a mock-up of the courtyard in the commander's house and a model of what the fort would have looked like in AD 200.

There is also the chance to take a virtual tour of the site as it appeared in Roman times, while other displays feature the inside of a cavalry barracks, the commanding officer's house, a granary and the fort's hospital.

Other attractions include a display of artifacts excavated from the site, the country's only reconstructed Roman bath-house, a section of rebuilt wall and a 100ft-high viewing tower.

The site is open daily, from 10am to 3.30pm during winter, with admission £2.95 for adults, £1.95 for children and concessions, or £8.50 for a family ticket of two adults and two children. Under-fours get in free.