Planned attraction forecast to draw 500,000 visitors per year

More details have been released about a planned Roman visitor attraction for York – which has been given the working title “EBORACUM”.

The team behind the museum, which will be at the heart of the proposed Roman Quarter project on Rougier Street, are anticipating visitor numbers of as many as 500,000 a year.

York Archaeological Trust says this would put the destination among the top 10% paid-for attractions in the country.

The attraction will build upon the skills the trust has developed over the last 40 years with York’s established JORVIK Viking Centre.

It will be three times the size of JORVIK, combining an accredited museum and an engaging visitor experience.

Visitors will have the opportunity to experience life in the city as it was almost 2,000 years ago through the latest technology, compelling interaction and stimulating interpretation of new evidence of York’s Roman heritage.

There will also be a restoration of the former Roman road on Tanner Street, to turn it into an outdoor event space.

David Jennings, chief executive of York Archaeological Trust, said: “We are looking forward to uncovering this site’s secrets – and gaining a far better understanding of the Romans in York – as we excavate here, knowing that everything we discover will add to the already rich tapestry of knowledge that we have about the Roman world.”

“The Roman Quarter project as a whole gives us a once in a generation opportunity to learn about and then interpret and present York’s past, so we are aiming extremely high for the attraction.

“Using the experiences of running JORVIK we will create something special of which the whole of York can be proud, further cementing York as an internationally-renowned centre of culture and heritage.

“York has ambitious targets to grow its flourishing tourism sector further, but it will only achieve this with product innovation – and we have 40 years’ experience of delivering that, bringing an economic impact of £27m each year to York.

“This project has a key role to play in the local economy’s recovery from the pandemic and in further setting York apart from our competitor heritage cities.

“Once established on the global tourism map, we will stretch our targets to reach the top 5% of paid-for attractions in the UK, bringing significantly higher economic value to the city.”

The Roman Quarter is a partnership between Rougier Street Developments Ltd, working with North Star and York Archaeological Trust. It will be located within the space known to house Roman-age remains that currently lie below ground level off Rougier Street.

It will see three buildings – Northern House, Rougier House and Society Bar – demolished and replaced with a new development including homes, leisure space, offices as well as EBORACUM.

A planning application for The Roman Quarter was submitted in December 2019 and has been amended following feedback.

It is now lower than three large buildings in the vicinity (Avivia, Yorkshire House, Grand Hotel) and has been redesigned to include a greater percentage of commercial space introduced into the mixed-use development.