The Binchester Roman fort, near Bishop Auckland, was one of the largest and longest permanently occupied Roman forts in the north of England. Binchester, or Vinovia as it was called, was a key staging post on Dere Street, the road to Hadrian's Wall and the north.

Time Team came to Binchester with a particular interest in uncovering the vicus, the civilian settlement that supported the Roman fort of Vinovia. In the process they uncovered an entire lost landscape.