Reasons for Designation
Hadrian's Wall marks one of the frontiers of the Roman Empire. The
international importance of the surviving remains has been recognised through
designation as a World Heritage Site.
The military importance of the Tyne-Solway route across the Pennines was
recognised by the Romans during their early campaigns through northern England
and into Scotland in the second half of the first century AD. At this time a
military road, the Stanegate, was constructed along with a series of forts.
Subsequently the Romans largely withdrew from Scotland and there is evidence
that the Tyne-Solway route was being recognised as a frontier by the start of
the second century AD. This position was consolidated in the early second
century by the construction of a substantial frontier work, Hadrian's Wall,
under the orders of the Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian's successor, Antoninus Pius,
subsequently attempted to establish the boundary further north, between the
Clyde and the Firth of Forth, but by c.AD 160 growing unrest amongst the
native populations of northern Britain and pressures elsewhere in the Empire
caused a retraction back to the Hadrianic line. Hadrian's Wall was then the
frontier of the Roman Empire in Britain until c.AD 400 when the Roman armies
withdrew from Britain.
Stretching over 70 miles from coast to coast, Hadrian's Wall was a continuous
barrier built of stone in the east and, initially, of turf in the west. The
stone wall was originally designed to be ten Roman feet wide and sections of
this width are termed broad wall. A change of plan shortly after construction
began led to a reduction in the width of the Wall to eight Roman feet, such
sections being termed narrow wall. Today, stretches of both wall types
survive, including some sections of narrow wall built on broad wall
foundations. For most of its length a substantial ditch on the northern side
provided additional defence. Where the Wall crossed rivers, bridges were
constructed to carry it across. Construction of the Wall was organised and
executed by legionary soldiers. From the beginning the barrier was planned to
comprise more than just a curtain wall. At regularly spaced intervals of about
a mile along its length lay small walled fortlets known as milecastles. These
were attached to the southern side of the Wall and most had a gateway through
the Wall to the north. Hence they controlled crossing points through the Wall
as well as affording space for a small stable garrison. Between the
milecastles were two equally spaced towers known as turrets. Together the
milecastles and turrets provided bases from which the curtain wall could be
watched and patrolled. Both the turrets and milecastles are thought to have
been higher than the Wall itself to provide suitable observation points. It is
often assumed that a platform existed on the Wall so that troops could
actually patrol along the wall top; it is however far from certain that this
was the case.
At the western end of the Wall a system of towers, small fortlets and palisade
fences extended the frontier system another 30 miles or so down the Cumbrian
coast and helped control shipping moving across the estuary of the Solway
Firth.
As originally planned, and apart from whatever space there was in the
milecastles, provision for the accommodation of garrison troops manning the
Wall was left with the line of forts which already lay along the Stanegate. At
some point a fundamental change of plan took place and forts were constructed
along the line of the Wall itself. There are now known to have been 16 forts
either attached to the Wall or in close association with it. Some overlay
earlier features such as turrets or milecastles. At this stage another linear
element, the vallum, was also added to the defensive system to the south of
the Wall. This was a broad flat-bottomed ditch flanked by a pair of linear
banks. It shadows the course of the Wall for almost all its length, sometimes
lying very close to it but sometimes up to a kilometre away from it. The
vallum's main function was to act as a barrier to restrict access to the Wall
from the south. It also had a function in linking the forts along the Wall
with a method of lateral communication. When the forts were placed along the
wall line no provision was made for a road to link them. This situation was
clearly found impracticable and a metalled track was therefore provided in
places along the vallum between the north mound and the ditch.
Later, after the withdrawal back to the Hadrianic line from the Antonine Wall,
various refurbishments were made throughout the frontier line. At this stage a
new linear feature was added: the `Military Way'. This was a road linking all
elements of the Wall defence, running from fort to fort within the area
bounded by the Wall and the vallum.
Throughout its long history the Wall was not always well maintained. It was
often neglected and sometimes overrun, but it remained in use until the late
fourth century when a weak and divided Roman Empire finally withdrew its
armies from the Wall and Britain.
It now survives in various states of preservation. In places, especially in
the central section, the Stone Wall still remains several courses high and the
attached forts, turrets and milecastles are also clearly indentifiable.
Earthwork features such as the ditch, vallum and Military Way also survive
well in places. Elsewhere the Stone Wall has been virtually robbed out and
only its foundations survive beneath the present ground surface. Similarly,
stretches of the earthwork remains, including sections of the Turf Wall, have
been levelled or infilled and now only survive as buried features. Although
some sections of the frontier system no longer survive visibly, sufficient
evidence does exist for its position to be fairly accurately identified
throughout most of its length.
Hadrian's Wall and its associated features between the road to Garthside and
the Centurion Inn, Walton, survive well as a series of buried and upstanding
remains. Significant information on the development of the frontier system
over time, will be preserved.
Details
The monument includes the section of Hadrian's Wall and its associated
features between the west side of the road to Garthside in the east and the
Centurion Inn at Walton in the west.
Hadrian's Wall survives as a buried feature throughout this section with few
traces visible on the ground. Between Howgill and turret 55a the Wall survives
as a substantial turf covered bank, up to 1.4m high, which is surmounted by a
fence and hedge. West of Dovecote Bridge a section of Wall 20m long stands to
an average height of 1m. It is now covered by a protective mound of earth, and
it is in the care of the Secretary of State. Between this section of Wall and
Walton the Wall was trenched in 13 places by Haverfield in 1902. The Wall was
found to be substantially robbed along its course. Its line here is visible on
the ground as an intermittent slight rise in grassland. Elsewhere in this
section the Wall survives as a buried feature with no remains visible above
ground except for the occasional rise seen in a hedgeline. The wall ditch
survives as a feature visible on the ground as a slight depression, averaging
0.5m deep, throughout most of this section. It is best preserved to the east
of turret 55a where it is 2.4m deep. The ditch upcast mound, usually referred
to as the glacis, which lies to the north of the ditch has been ploughed out
in this section. The only visible remains of this feature are to the east of
turret 55a where it survives as a slight mound.
Milecastle 55 survives as a low turf covered platform visible as a slight rise
in the hedgeline. It measures 22m east to west but its north-south length is
indeterminate because its extent to the south is unclear. The milecastle was
located and partly excavated by Haverfield in 1900 who recovered late fourth
century AD pottery.
Milecastle 56 is located to the north east of the Centurion Inn at Walton. It
survives as a buried feature with no traces visible above ground. MacLauchlan
noted slight traces of the milecastle here in 1858 during his survey of the
Wall.
Turret 54b is situated about 150m north east of Howgill House. It survives as
a buried feature with no remains visible above ground. It was located by
Simpson in 1933 who considered it to be of the original Turf Wall series.
Turret 55a is situated about 170m to the north of High Dovecote. It survives
as a buried feature with no remains visible above ground. This turret was also
located by Simpson in 1933 who considered it to be of the original Turf Wall
series.
Turret 55b is situated about 40m west of Dovecote Bridge. Its exact location
has not yet been confirmed as it survives as a buried feature with no remains
visible above ground. The turret was located by Miss Kate Hodgson in 1959 but
it has not been located since.
The exact course of the Roman road known as the Military Way, which ran along
the corridor between the Wall and the vallum linking turrets, milecastles and
forts, has not been confirmed in this section. However, it is expected to be
situated parallel to the Wall about 20m-30m south of it.
All field boundaries, buildings, English Heritage fixtures and fittings, and
road and track surfaces are excluded from the scheduling, but the ground
beneath them is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
