Hadrian's Wall
 Roman Britain |
From Wallsend on the east coast to Bowness on the west, Hadrian's Wall spectacularly straddles the breadth of northern England. Built between AD123-136, on the instructions of the Emperor Hadrian "to separate Romanised Britannia from the barbarians", the Wall winds for 73 miles (80 Roman miles) across some of the most desolate and undulating countryside in Britain. Long stretches of the Wall remain to the visitor, as do the ruins of a number of forts, milecastles and watchtowers originally occupied by the Roman troops. A selection of the varied sites follows below.
Chesters is a Roman cavalry fort where the remains of barracks, stables, the commandant's house and most strikingly the bathhouse, are well preserved and clearly identifiable. There is a fascinating museum with displays of Roman weaponry, jewellery, pottery and sculpture. One of the most impressive sections of the Wall is at nearby Cawfields where, for two miles, it runs along the Great Whin Sill, a natural barrier.
Carrawburgh remains largely unexcavated; the primary interest on this site is the most complete Mithraic Temple found in Britain, a full-scale reconstruction of which is on display in Newcastle's Museum of Antiquities. The Roman soldiery especially favoured this dualistic religion, originating in the Eastern Empire, and for many years, it was a rival to Christianity.
Housesteads is the best preserved and the most imposing of the forts that remain to us, primarily because of its spectacular site - as a result it is also the most visited. Officer quarters, barracks, granaries, latrines and a hospital are all exceptionally well preserved. A walk along the Wall westward from Housesteads, toward milecastle 37, offers the most breathtaking of views.
Carvoran has little of its fort left to view, but in its absence offers the visitor an exciting alternative. The Roman Army Museum houses life-size figures of Roman soldiers with their equipment, audio-visual displays and a large-scale model of a Roman fort. This recreation of the harsh realities faced by those living in and guarding the most northerly outpost of the empire is both informative and entertaining.
Corbridge, lying just south of the Wall, was an important Roman military headquarters, depot and supply base, later to become the capital of Northumbria. The ruined granary is the largest surviving Roman building in Britain. The excellent museum contains many archaeological finds, including small personal objects; the famous sculptured fountain-head, known as the Corbridge Lion, resides here.
Chesterholm, this partially excavated site suggests one of the largest civilian settlements in evidence along the Wall. The museum offers relics galore, including personal belongings from men, women and children - most revealing are the wooden writing tablets with their everyday gossip, invitations, accounts and requests. Equally impressive is the reconstruction of sections of Hadrian's Wall, as it might have been, based on the archaeological evidence; included, is the complete reconstruction of a timber milecastle.