Hadrian's Wall on Tyneside

HADRIAN’S WALL ON TYNESIDE AN INTRODUCTION AND GUIDE TO THE LATEST DISCOVERIES

1 The magnificent ‘water stone’, a Latin inscription which records the building of an aqueduct at the fort of Arbeia, South Shields, in AD 222

2 HADRIAN’S WALL ON TYNESIDE AN INTRODUCTION AND GUIDE TO THE LATEST DISCOVERIES

3 The fort baths at Wallsend (Segedunum) rediscovered after 200 years

4 CONTENTS

7 INTRODUCTION 8 HADRIAN’S WALL 14 WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF HADRIAN’S WALL? 16 WHAT HAPPENED TO LOCAL PEOPLE WHEN THE WALL WAS BUILT? 18 HADRIAN’S WALL ON TYNESIDE TODAY 19 SOUTH SHIELDS – ARBEIA 26 WALLSEND – SEGEDUNUM 29 WALLSEND FORT BATHS REDISCOVERED 37 HADRIAN’S WALL WEST OF THE FORT 40 FROM WALLSEND TO NEWCASTLE 44 ROMAN NEWCASTLE AND GATESHEAD 48 THE ROMAN BRIDGE AT NEWCASTLE 51 FROM NEWCASTLE TO BENWELL 53 BENWELL FORT – CONDERCUM 61 FROM BENWELL TO THE NORTH TYNE Published at Newcastle upon Tyne by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums 66 AN EXCAVATION ON THE DITCH OF HADRIAN’S WALL 2017 68 QUEST FOR A LOST ROMAN ROAD © Copyright Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums ISBN 0905974964 75 THE FINAL ABANDONMENT OF THE WALL Text by Nick Hodgson 76 HADRIAN’S WALL AFTER THE ROMANS Designed by r//evolution 82 GUIDE TO FURTHER READING 5 Hadrian’s Wall 33 miles west of Newcastle

6 The most famous visible remains This book gives an introduction INTRODUCTION of the Wall are preserved in the to Hadrian’s Wall and its legacy remote upland landscape of on Tyneside, explaining what we Northumberland. The eastern know about Hadrian’s Wall in these 27 miles of the Wall, from urban less-visited areas. It also describes Hadrian’s Wall stretches all the way Tyneside to the river North Tyne, are discoveries made by WallQuest, a from Wallsend, in eastern Newcastle, largely invisible, its remains mostly community archaeology project, buried beneath modern highways supported by the Heritage Lottery to Bowness, on the Solway Firth, and buildings. Yet there are Fund and others, and managed by a distance of 73 miles. important archaeological remains Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums. preserved beneath the ground, and WallQuest aimed to improve the the Wall has shaped the townscape understanding and interpretation of modern Tyneside. Many of the of Hadrian’s Wall on Tyneside, and most important archaeological to give local people, who wouldn’t discoveries about the Wall in normally have the opportunity, recent times have been made in a chance to get involved in real excavations in urban Tyneside, and archaeological work to find out the area contains three of the major more about the Wall. Between 2012 forts of Hadrian’s Wall – Wallsend and 2016, 550 individual volunteers (Segedunum), Newcastle (Pons from the local community have Aelius) and Benwell (Condercum), taken part and investigated a as well as South Shields (Arbeia), number of different sites, not just in the Roman fort and supply-base at Tyneside but throughout the eastern the mouth of the Tyne. 30 miles of Hadrian’s Wall.

Hadrian’s Wall and other Roman military sites in northern Britain 7 Left: Coin portrait of the HADRIAN’S WALL Emperor Hadrian Right The 80-Roman mile course of Hadrian’s Wall Within a few years of becoming empire had meant cuts to the from sea to sea (map by emperor in AD 117, Hadrian was number of troops in Britain and a Frontiers of the Roman confronted with a major war in gradual abandonment of the lands Empire Culture 2000 project (2005-2008)) Britain, and here and on other north of the line that would be frontiers of the Roman empire chosen for Hadrian’s Wall. he decided to give security to the The Wall was built across the 73 provinces by building substantial miles (80 Roman miles) between the barriers ‘to separate the Romans Tyne and Solway, and inscriptions from the barbarians’. Almost half show that work was in progress in a century earlier the Romans had the years immediately following a conquered Scotland, but military personal visit to Britain by Hadrian problems in other parts of the in AD 122.

8 The eastern 49 miles of the Wall later addition. 6m (20RF) in front of were built of stone, the western the Wall ran a great V-shaped ditch, 31 miles of turf, later replaced in generally over 8m wide and up to stone. The stone Wall was started 3m deep. to a width of 10 Roman Feet (RF) The wide space between the Wall (3m) and was originally some 20 and its ditch was a deliberate feet (6m) high, almost certainly measure to provide space for extra with a walkway and battlements obstacles – sharpened branches along the top. The 10 foot wide set in pits – a previously unknown ‘Broad Wall’ only occurs west of element of the Wall, seen for Newcastle. Between Newcastle and the first time in recent years in Wallsend the Wall is narrow (2.4m excavations on Tyneside. wide) – this stretch was a slightly

9 Reconstruction of the Narrow Wall, a turret and a milecastle, looking west from Byker towards Newcastle

10 At every Roman mile was a small fort which functioned as a fortified gateway through the Wall – a ‘milecastle’. Between every two milecastles were two towers (‘turrets’). The milecastles are numbered from east to west, and the turrets in each Wall-mile have the number of the preceding Milecastle with the suffixes A and B. So, for example, between Milecastles 48 and 49, we find Turrets 48A and 48B. Note however that few positions of milecastles in Tyneside are known with certainty: we can guess where they should be from the regular spacing, but rarely have the actual structures been discovered in the urban areas. No turret has been reliably seen in the whole 7-mile stretch from Wallsend to Denton, west of Newcastle. In some areas, particularly in Newcastle City centre, the line taken by the Wall itself is still not known, and will only be discovered Right: Reconstruction at Wallsend-Segedunum by future archaeological research. showing cross section through the Wall as it would have appeared originally

11 Major garrison forts, for full Along this corridor, between the Roman army units, also occur Wall and the Vallum, there ran a along the Wall, some 15 in all. Roman road, the main means of In urban Tyneside there are three: communication and supply, known Wallsend, Newcastle and Benwell, as ‘the Military Way’. Apart from a each of which had a civilian brief period in AD 140-60 when the settlement (vicus) outside its walls. Romans advanced to build another The series of forts continues west wall, known as the Antonine Wall, of Benwell, with sites at Rudchester, in Scotland, Hadrian’s Wall was Halton Chesters, and Chesters, continuously held by the Roman the last guarding the crossing of army for three hundred years, until the North Tyne. Rome lost control of Britain in the To the rear of the Wall (but not early fifth century. east of Newcastle), was a linear earthwork, the so-called Vallum. This was a flat-bottomed ditch, 6m wide and 3m deep, with a substantially built mound to either side. This formidable obstacle demarcated and secured the southern edge of the military zone of the Wall-forts, milecastles and turrets.

Above: Plan of Wallsend (Segedunum) Roman fort in the 2nd century AD. Note Hadrian’s Wall joining the west side and south-east corner of the fort

12 How the building of the Wall would have looked - scene form Trajan’s Column in Rome showing legionaries building

13 WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF HADRIAN’S WALL?

The Wall was the most massively and out of the province, preventing Left: How a typical built of all Roman frontier barriers, unauthorised access. Wall-soldier would have looked, around an extraordinary construction, Others suggest that in emergencies AD 230 deliberately built to impress and the Wall helped to defend overawe the warriors of the Right: Hadrian’s Wall against raiders and even larger- and its system of unconquered part of Britain and to scale invasions. The discovery on obstacles on Tyneside proclaim the glory of Hadrian and Tyneside, as recently as 2000, of an reconstructed Rome. But it also had a practical extra-layer of defensive obstacles purpose, as its maintenance for between the Wall and its frontal 300 years by later Roman emperors ditch, tends to suggest that the Wall shows. When first built, the forts was designed with defence against on Hadrian’s Wall housed around attackers in mind. The Wall was 10,000 soldiers (not legionaries, not meant to be an impregnable but non-citizen troops called fortress for withstanding long auxiliaries, originally recruited from sieges, like a medieval town or native warriors in other frontier castle wall. It was merely one layer areas of the empire). This great in a deep zone of military defence, army was obviously intended to which included outpost forts to the repel invasions and raids on the north and many forts far behind the province of Britannia, and probably Wall. As a defensible structure the to raid the lands to the north. Wall would allow small numbers of Archaeologists disagree on how troops to fight off small-scale raids the Wall itself, and the milecastles or to delay larger attacking forces and turrets, were supposed to for long enough for messengers to work. Some believe that the barrier seek reinforcements and for a wider controlled peaceful movement in military response to be organised.

14 15 WHAT HAPPENED TO LOCAL PEOPLE WHEN THE WALL WAS BUILT?

The pre-Roman people of Tyneside, mining has revealed many more Northumberland and Durham of these sites since the turn of were Iron Age farmers, who the millennium, and radiocarbon lived in a cleared and cultivated dating techniques have allowed landscape. They lived in big timber their history to be understood for roundhouses, not clustered together the first time. These settlements in villages, but in family farms of continued in occupation for the first various sizes. The biggest of these, 50 years of Roman rule, following occurring roughly every 1,000m the invasion of the region in the 70s or so across the landscape, were AD. But when the Wall was built in surrounded by impressive banks the 120s, the traditional way of life and ditches, marking them out was disrupted. Many settlements as the settlements of the leading were abandoned. To the south of members of society. This was a the Wall the traditional structure stable society that had existed in of family farms gave way to this form for hundreds of years. Roman-style towns, country houses In the area north of Newcastle and estates which profited from rescue archaeology in advance of supplying the army. housing development and opencast

16 The area immediately north of the Wall was still under Roman control, but traditional society vanished, replaced by new groups who supplied the Roman army with the cattle it valued for meat and leather. Further north, in Scotland, warrior groups began to emerge, who raided over long distances, maintaining their lifestyle by plundering the province south of the Wall. It was probably from a zone between 100 and 300 miles distant from the Wall that raiders trying to get through the barrier Above: Pre-Roman Iron came, rather than from the area Age settlements known immediately north. north of the Wall in the Newcastle area

Left: A large pre-Roman Iron Age roundhouse under excavation at Newcastle Great Park

Left: Plan of typical pre-Roman Iron Age settlement in the Newcastle area. Shortly after the Wall was built, sites like this to the north were abandoned

17 HADRIAN’S WALL ON TYNESIDE TODAY

Hadrian’s Wall was originally Wall will want to follow the actual inscribed as a World Heritage Site route the Wall took, and there in 1987. Today, Hadrian’s Wall is are good reasons for doing so. part of the transnational Frontiers of Although the Roman remains are the Roman Empire World Heritage mostly invisible beneath the modern Site, inscribed in 2005 and currently streetscape, there are places where comprising Hadrian’s Wall, the they can be seen, and there is much German Limes (frontier line) and the else of interest to see, including the Antonine Wall in Scotland. historic centre of Newcastle upon The Hadrian’s Wall Path National Tyne. Even in the urban areas the Trail (opened in 2003) avoids the walker can appreciate the landscape actual line of Hadrian’s Wall through through which the Wall ran. the urban areas of Tyneside, instead WallQuest volunteers produced a taking a riverside route for the 12 booklet and app, Walking Hadrian’s miles between the eastern end of Wall on Tyneside, offering a safe The foundations of the the Wall at Wallsend and Heddon- and practical route which runs as Narrow Wall revealed on the south side of Shields Road, on-the-Wall. Many walkers with a close as possible to the actual line Byker, in 2000 real archaeological interest in the of the Wall.

18 SOUTH SHIELDS – ARBEIA

The Roman fort and supply base South Shields Roman Fort – known at the mouth of the Tyne lay at as Arbeia in Roman times – was South Shields, on the other side of largely covered with housing the river from the east end of the between 1875 and 1895, but this Wall at Wallsend. Somewhere close was cleared away in the 1960s and to the fort at South Shields was a 1970s and now Arbeia is one of Roman seaport, where travellers the most extensively excavated forts to the Wall arriving by sea would in the Wall area, with a museum disembark. The precise location of containing spectacular finds and the port is still unknown. several reconstructed Roman buildings, including the impressive west gate.

View over the Roman fort of Arbeia, South Shields

www.arbeiaromanfort.org.uk 19 The reconstructed west gate at Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields

20 The site of the first Roman fort at army abandoned the site around AD South Shields remains undiscovered. 410, but the place was refortified The known fort was first built about by a local community in the fifth AD 160, and enlarged in 208-11 century and was used by the Anglo- so that it could be filled with 24 Saxons from around AD 600-900, granaries (grain warehouses) to before finally being abandoned to supply the army of the emperor agriculture. Septimius Severus. Severus came The WallQuest excavation at Arbeia to Britain in person in AD 208 to Roman Fort, South Shields, in fight the barbarians north of the 2012-16 concentrated on an area Wall, in what is now Scotland. After immediately outside the fort wall, at that the fort, garrisoned by the the south-west corner of the visible Fifth Cohort of Gauls, functioned stone fort, to find out what life was as a supply-base for Hadrian’s like in the Roman civilian settlement Wall. In the fourth century it was that lay outside. a naval base manned by a unit of boatmen from the river Tigris, in Iraq: the splendid house of the fourth century commanding officer has been completely excavated and partly reconstructed. The Roman

Plan of the supply-base at Arbeia, South Shields filled with 24 granaries 21 The reconstructed fourth century commanding officer’s house at Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields

22 Up against the fort wall the The ditches in this area date to was overlain by a road, resurfaced volunteers found defensive ditches, about AD 208, when the fort was many times, and by a new stone and the fallen fabric from the extended south to form a supply- building. This is important because fort wall which had collapsed in base. The innermost ditch seems with a few exceptions fort civilian post-Roman times. One eagle-eyed to have been recut when the fort settlements or vici in north Britain volunteer spotted a finely carved was re-fortified sometime in the were abandoned after c. AD 270, Roman altar which had been early 400s. yet the final phase in this part of re-used in the fort wall at a late Further out, beyond the defensive the vicus at South Shields must have period. Another important find ditches, buildings and activities been built in the late-third century from this area was a fine bronze relating to the civilian settlement, or even in the early 300s. South figurine of Ceres, goddess of crops or vicus, which flourished outside Shields emerges as one of a handful and fertility. the fort walls in the third century of places that because of their AD were found. During the main importance maintained an urban third-century phase this area was function as a market centre as occupied by metalworking hollows well as having a fort and a military for gold- and silversmiths. garrison. The demolition fill of the This is probably explained by its role metalworking hollows contained as the major seaport at the eastern pottery dated to after AD 250, yet end of Hadrian’s Wall.

Figurine of the goddess Ceres, found by a WallQuest volunteer in 2015

23 Head of a protective Underneath the remains of the This construction overlay a goddess (‘tutela’), 2nd civilian settlement was a sequence layer of rubbish and demolition century AD, found by a of clay deposits which had been material from burnt timber volunteer (2) used to fill up a valley so it could buildings, containing pottery of be crossed by a Roman road, about AD 120-140 – this is a sign that the time the first stone fort of AD buildings associated with an early, 160 was built. A well-built stone undiscovered, fort cannot be far drain ran alongside the road. This away. This rubbish dumping in turn clay levelling was heightened directly overlay plough-marks – the around AD 200, then immediately pre-Roman Iron Age cultivated cut by the ditches of the extended fields, abandoned when the Roman supply-base fort built around AD army arrived in the area. 208. This sequence of deposits Thanks to the volunteers of produced the most spectacular WallQuest, we now know more find from this area, the stone head about life outside the fort walls, of a tutelary (protecting) goddess, and about the earliest history of wearing a mural crown – a crown in the Roman occupation of South the shape of a battlement city wall, Shields – important information symbolising protective power. which complements what has been revealed about the fort interior by 30 years of excavation and research.

Unfinished silver ring and gold fragment from the workshop in the vicus at South Shields

24 WallQuest volunteers excavate the second century Roman landscape at South Shields

25 WALLSEND – SEGEDUNUM

Hadrian’s Wall did not run all the Built under Hadrian around AD way to the east coast. It started 124 it housed a 600-strong cohort four miles inland, at Wallsend – of mixed infantry and cavalry. For a name that is recorded as early most of the Roman period the as the eleventh century. At the regiment concerned was the Fourth south-east corner of the fort can be Cohort of Lingones, originally raised seen remains of the ‘Branch Wall’, in eastern France. The fort was the very last portion of Hadrian’s completely built over in the late Wall which ran down into the nineteenth century, but revealed river Tyne, probably terminating again in excavation campaigns in in a magnificent monument to 1975-84 and 1997-8 which mean Top left: Watercolour of commemorate the decision of the that it has the most completely the south-east corner emperor Hadrian to build the Wall. known plan of any Wall-fort. The of the fort at Wallsend, looking west, as it was in East of Wallsend the Tyne was wide modern highway (Buddle Street) 1848 (Laing Art Gallery) enough to make a wall unnecessary. bisects the fort, but its outlines are marked out on both sides of the Left: From the same view- The fort at the east end of the Wall, point, Segedunum Roman with the Roman name Segedunum, road. There is a modern museum Fort as it is today (photo was situated to command housing the finds excavated from Graeme Peacock) magnificent views along two the fort and a reconstruction of the straight stretches of the river Tyne. fort baths.

www.segedunumromanfort.org.uk 26 WALLSEND – SEGEDUNUM

Wallsend (Segedunum) Roman fort as it would have looked in the third century AD

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A A D 58 K A i 0 n D 1 O Cra 1 B6 R gside A g 32 6 s 4 E d 7 N oa R E n R o D Little Moor D to a r w e d o D N v N D S e A o A Dukes Moor O Westerhoe O S u R

S M T t 6 T T h R S A S B A A o 0 M E J 1 O T a C 8 F 6 I d O O 5 RD 0 N HA 0 WALLSEND FORT BATHS M R 9 O RD 8 Bies Main A 1 B West Denton A OSBORNE ROA D D E HEXHAM ROAD N REDISCOVERED T B6528 O B6528 Blaelaw d N a 189 Ro A th Heddon-on- R r No In 2014 local residents relocated it clear that the baths must have O

C A o the Roman baths that once served been in the vicinity of the Ship Inn a D

Ban To c the-wall h the Roman fort of Segedunum. The in Gainer’s Terrace, 120m from the 8 R d 05 W B o 1 a B A o a o e y H 1 B s reconstructed baths at Wallsend fort and much closer to the Tyne d A R d W 3 e t S TH e West n S R O l T 18 f t Throcley R t A AD i r o N t 1 A O e are not on the site of the Roman than the reconstructed baths. T R e a E o M 9 Jesmond T l e R 1 S d d RA b 1 A t C l F 6 N CO R E a A original, whose exact location was O 7 e o Over the winter of 2013-14 W w a

RD t d Wallsend Sta h o P tio t a unknown. As part of WallQuest, n R r n r volunteers researched historic maps o o H ad y R k nton Wa N West De A D Jesmond Dene o R T a group of individuals centred on M A a o EAS and records which pointed to the d a T n Walk route Mainline rail station 0 5 10 15 mintes E O d TRE e D S the Wallsend Local History Society e R R GH conclusion that the former Ship r I O A D H

G Cowate D A O A and Friends of Segedunum Roman e d N Inn, now demolished, lay directly R O h D a B6 A T 3 o 5 T R 9 N 2 D R 8 A Wall Rapid transportS station A1 Fort formed a steering group and E L E P over the original Roman bath- W le 6 E Nuns Moor D a tt I Aroimate walin time N r B o 9 N ad k designed a project to locate the F R t Ro U lb A Forres R house. The site was made available R a 1 G O o W R a N B 8 T A N BENWELL G Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database rights 2016 5 ES d long-lost site of the baths. I S for excavation by North Tyneside R R Fort / POI Bus interchange 10 W d Roman Temple O T O G A E a P RE 187 ©R Oxford Cartographers 98045 E&OE A o Council and the first trenches were A S H ST There were some clues – the R E IG D H A Walottle d dug in May 2014. Thanks to the T Northumberland county historian a A e e Wallsend d c A N h l 1 1 a l oa 6 r O and pioneer Wall-archaeologist quality of the research organised i 7 R 8 r e 3 H y 67 R 19 e A1 8 T A T l Town Moor T o S y S John Hodgson made a description the WallQuest volunteers the H r o TA 0 E P M 67 u L F 1 0 O A b RDHA R D M ROAD 6 h Walerille of some Roman baths discovered at trenches were in the right place and O t D 1 o U A B R s D B D en A Wallsend in 1814, but unfortunately found the long-lost baths at the rd O T A a R h 6 G e he did not record the location first attempt, exactly 200 years after

0 ee A SEGEDUNUM 8 C B tr v 5 N e e e Roman Fort Centre precisely. His description, which John Hodgson made his description. H n l n E p u Engine f I i p e N e A L A preliminary season of excavation East Denton N l explains that the baths had L Walerate d S O D I D Plantation R L 5 N L o 0 A IE been encountered during the took place in 2014. R 3 G a O d H Clayton's Wood E 1 S V R H construction of a wagonway, makes d L B a I S N D A Wallsend o e t M R A h N 6 e l 9 r l b A S D SEGEDUNUM t a y T o R D R t H r S t iv O s E n e D R h N o A o i N a g U Location of the n d D d Heddon Hah Roa Walkergate u T A on U yt C Cla a P baths, 120m south R Hunter's Moor la h E r A p e i G m 1 O l N Reigh Burn on 6 i of Wallsend fort NEWCASTLE S h t 7 1 R P o B 9 ad 1 O e A R Cathouse Gra n N 29 ng a N e L E Heaton R A e o d D C r p R H ad o N 1 A 3 o f Brandlin t Plantation e E 8 O 9 y S 8 O 1 u u t UPON TYNE a 9 h 5 t a N A A S n l e 0 R t t e Jesmond o s S r u D 1 N ive a Dr am Hall t A D n t R O Fenh o t R o o n R d W Fenham L R E P Villae n a S o e S L O Vale d n O tr S La T L F a ital R e t Hosp DENTON O A N d e Y d r A oa t e Tyne Riverside D B T R D e E 's ter N t HALL O L un Jesmond D A A H A Chillingham OA Turret 1 W N S R Country Park 8 T S 6 D Road LD Newrn IE W R A1 H W at Newburn O O B S B 67 7 e A s 1 A A 13 ( 0 s b 1 M 6 3 t V D B b 6 8 ) o 0 1 B o E Sital 1 r 0 0 n w u ie R 8 3 Newcastle k V e r n Pa t d r 5 1 n o s t R D S T a e e t Denton Brn 8 H Y e a University e

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Both the soldiers and civilians of Hadrian’s Wall would have bathed regularly. For the Romans, bathing was essentially a social activity, combined with games, exercises and conversation, preferably in the afternoon. Unfortunately we have no evidence for when or how often the soldiers bathed, whether it was an entirely off-duty activity, how much they paid, or the rules and regulations for sharing the baths with women or other civilians. Baths were usually built outside auxiliary forts, since the standard fort layout had evolved before auxiliaries (non-citizen soldiers like those who manned the Wall) had adopted the Roman custom of bathing by about AD 80.

The bather’s equipment - an oil flask and blade (strigil) for scraping dirt from pores

30 The baths could be a considerable How the baths worked - distance from the fort – some 300m underfloor heating and flues in the walls (in the at Benwell, 120m at Wallsend, reconstructed baths at 70m at Chesters – convenience of Segedunum) water-supply, usually by aqueduct, dictating the position. The baths were impressively built of stone with glazed windows and contained a series of heated rooms through which the bather could progress from tepid heat to the hottest steam room with hot plunge bath. The hot water was supplied from a boiler over a furnace from which gases were drawn beneath the raised cement and flagstone floors, up wall-flues and even through the ceiling vaults, giving radiant heat from every surface. The bather began or finished with a cold plunge or douche in an unheated room.

31 THE EXCAVATION OF THE BATHS AT WALLSEND

The discovery of the fort baths This has been the first opportunity at Wallsend in 2014 generated to carry out large scale excavation considerable publicity and partly as on the baths of one of the Hadrianic a result of the find the Chancellor Wall forts since the development of of the Exchequer announced in modern techniques in archaeology. March 2015 that, as part of the Nearly all previous investigations of ‘Northern Powerhouse’ initiative, baths on the Wall took place in the H.M. Treasury would fund £500,000 eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. of improvements to Segedunum, At Wallsend it has been possible and that this should include placing to understand in detail for the first the newly discovered baths on time how and why a Roman bath permanent display. On the strength building was altered over the one of this, more of the remains were and a half centuries it was in use. exposed in 2015, and a combined The excavation confirmed that the team of professional archaeologists Wallsend baths date back to the and WallQuest volunteers has Hadrianic period, originally built to carried out a detailed excavation of a distinctive plan that is known also what amounts to about 50% of the at Benwell, Chesters, Carrawburgh, whole Roman building. Netherby and Bewcastle. The baths under excavation in 2015

32 Reconstruction of baths of Hadrianic type at Chesters. (copyright Historic England, illustration John Ronayne)

the other side of the building’s central wall. Other repeated motifs include a row of external buttresses along one exterior wall, usually the east. The masonry of the In this plan, which in the whole original Hadrianic construction at of the Roman empire is unique to Wallsend is of a very high quality, Hadrian’s Wall, the rooms are in a using small finely dressed and block arrangement which allowed liberally mortared squared facing the bathers to circulate around the stones. There is now no doubt building, ending up at their starting that the baths at Wallsend were point without retracing their steps. originally built to this well-known The central motif is a block of four ‘Hadrianic ‘ blueprint, which was rooms – with square frigidarium part of the ‘ideal’ overall design leading to narrow heated lobby, but for the Wall and its forts, possibly square and rectangle reversed on overseen by Hadrian himself.

33 The main hot room of the second phase of the baths, with hypocaust pillars in situ

34 DESTRUCTION AND REBUILDING IN THE ROMAN PERIOD

At some point, however, the exterior east wall was on a distorted This second phase of the southern part of the baths, alignment, having shifted wholesale baths consists of a cold room containing the heated rooms, was out of its original alignment; (frigidarium), with a well-preserved abandoned and what remained significantly one of the buttresses cold plunge bath lined with was adapted to form a smaller bath was an addition, perhaps a response waterproof cement, 1m shorter house with a quite different plan, to the initial problem. The cold than the Hadrianic cold bath that with two semi-circular bays, or bath lining was sheered in half by a underlies it; a very small warm apses, projecting to the south, built prominent crack or fissure, as if the room (tepidarium), which had over the concrete basements of the south-east section had split away simply been a heated lobby in the demolished former heated ranges. and begun to move east. Hadrianic baths; and a larger hot The explanation seems to be that An inscription found at the west room, (caldarium), whose rows the baths suffered from landslip and rampart of the fort in 1998 records of hypocaust pillars, badly heat that the south and east parts began the building or rebuilding of a bath damaged monoliths, survived. to split away and slide the slope building ‘from the ground level up’ Apses project south from the warm towards the Tyne. The baths seem – ‘a solo’ in Latin – at some date room and the hot room; these to have been built to hang on in the late-second or third century. probably contained warm and hot the south-east facing side of a Probably this was taken from the immersion baths. The west apse, stream valley. newly discovered site for re-use in containing the hot bath, was served by a very large stokehole with Much evidence suggestive of the late-Roman period and refers to cheeks of stone and tile, re-faced landslip, in the Roman period or the drastic re-planning of the main on many occasions and showing later, was found: the buttressed fort baths following landslip. much damage from heat.

35 AN AMAZING SURVIVAL

When he saw the baths in 1814, Datable finds – pottery and coins John Hodgson wrote a description – indicate that the baths were of what sounds like a small warm abandoned by the late third century. immersion bath, the remains of This is the case with other external which were found attached to the baths on Hadrian’s Wall, and in west side of the hot room in 2015. some cases these were replaced by Hodgson also lamented that: ‘it internal baths, as at Housesteads was, however, only the last part of and Chesters. a considerable building that was The exposed portion of the remaining when I visited the spot, Wallsend baths, the first to be all the rest having been removed discovered at a Wall-fort since before I heard of the discovery’. 1897, has now been placed on One of the most gratifying aspects permanent public display. of the rediscovery of the baths is the fact that although they were clearly levelled in 1814 there is a wealth of archaeological information left and the remains of the building have certainly not been entirely ‘removed’.

The Wallsend baths as originally planned and as rebuilt after landslip

36 HADRIAN’S WALL WEST OF THE FORT

Immediately west of Wallsend fort, in an area of the Roman fort park just north of Buddle Street, is an excavated stretch of Hadrian’s Wall 33m long. West of Newcastle Hadrian’s Wall was started with a thickness of 10 Roman feet (3m) (‘Broad Wall’). The four-mile stretch of the Wall from Newcastle to Wallsend, including this section, was a slightly later addition, built to a width of 7.5 feet (2.5m) – so-called ‘Narrow Wall’. The ditch which ran 6m in front of the Wall is not visible. Oak posts mark the positions of emplacements for an impenetrable entanglement of sharpened branches – a previously unknown obstacle found during excavations on the site and since found elsewhere in the space between Hadrian’s Wall and its ditch.

Reconstructed Wall west of Segedunum Roman fort. The posts mark the positions of pits to hold obstacles on the berm between the Wall and ditch

37 THE RECONSTRUCTED WALL AT WALLSEND

Just south of the real Wall foundation is a reconstruction showing how the Wall may have looked. This reconstruction is based on the available evidence for the appearance of Hadrian’s Wall in Roman times. It is likely that the Wall has a walkway and battlements like this, but this still has to be proven. The Wall may have been plastered or painted: alternative possibilities are shown on the south side of the reconstruction. The reconstruction is 12 Roman feet high to the walkway (a Roman foot = 295mm). This is the minimum possible height for the Wall. Bede, writing in the eighth century, about 300 years after the Romans had left Britain, described the Wall in this area as still surviving 12 feet in height.

The excavated stretch of Narrow Wall west of Segedunum fort, showing evidence of collapse in the Roman period

38 THE COLLAPSED SECTION OF HADRIAN’S WALL

Excavation of a further 50m of the the grittier sandstone may have by the unstable slopes of the valley. Wall, first uncovered in 1998-9, was been transported from further Impressive evidence of collapse can completed by WallQuest volunteers away, using the river. No mortar be seen on the north face of the in 2015. This has now been was used between the carefully Wall, which is tilted at a crazy angle. consolidated for public display. squared facing stones of the Wall. A series of channels are visible Here the Wall crosses a small valley The inside of the Wall (the core) running through the base of the which has filled up, preserving the consisted of tightly-packed rubble. Hadrianic Wall in the valley bottom. Wall, which stands much higher The mortar visible today is modern These probably housed pipes here than is usual in urban Tyneside. protection to safeguard the remains supplying water to the fort baths This means that archaeologists have of the Wall. and other buildings south of the been able to study the construction The original 7.5 foot thick Narrow Wall. A much bigger culvert, wide of the Wall much more closely Wall can be seen at the eastern and enough for a person to crawl into, here than anywhere else in the western ends of the site, but in the ran through the Wall when it was area. They found that the Wall middle part, where the Wall dips rebuilt following its collapse. here was built at the same time as into a stream valley, the remains of the fort at Wallsend. The Romans the Wall appear much wider. This is brought the stone for the Wall from because this part was rebuilt several local quarries, although some of times following collapses caused

39 FROM WALLSEND TO NEWCASTLE

A mile west of Wallsend fort the At the east end of Shields Road, Wall converges with the Fossway at the big roundabout at Byker Hill, (a modern road) just west of Miller’s is the probable site of Turret 2A. Dene recreation ground, probable At Union Road (east end of Shields site of Milecastle 1. Just west of Road) the piece of Hadrian’s Wall the Turbinia pub the Wall-line is displayed outside the east wall of indicated in the pavement on the the cycle shop is not real and is north side as it converges with the about 20m north of the true line. Fossway, which then follows the The Wall runs under the shops Wall-line west. on the south side of Shields Road Milecastle 2 was probably in the – a displayed section of the Wall vicinity of Tunstall Avenue, west of foundation excavated in 2000 the Brough Park dog racing track can be seen at the Library/Pool (south side of the Fossway). The forecourt. The discs in the pavement north face of the Wall has been to the north mark the positions seen under the fence just south of a defensive system of timber The Wall foundation revealed at Shields Road, Byker, with emplacements for of the pavement between Brough obstacles in the space between obstacles discovered in 2000 Park and Tunstall Avenue. the Wall and Ditch found here for the first time.

40 Displayed section of the Narrow Wall foundation excavated in 2000 at the Library/Pool forecourt, Shields Road, Byker (photo Graeme Peacock)

41 The next major feature is the Ouseburn Valley (where the Wall crossed the Ouseburn near Byker City Farm). Milecastle 3 lay in the vicinity of the BP station on the east side of the valley at west end of Shields Road, and appears in a drawing of 1723 by the antiquary Stukeley. At the top of Stepney Bank, on the west side of Crawhall Road,

The Ouseburn Valley a plaque and cross-section of the (photo Graeme Peacock) Wall can be seen on the side of a building bearing the street sign ‘Red Barns’, where the Wall was found in 1981. Modern excavations have recorded the Wall under Staybridge Diagram to show the kind of obstacles set into Suites (Melbourne Street) and at the pits on the berm Garth Heads, next to the Keelmen’s between Wall and ditch Hospital. From this point west to the site of Newcastle Roman fort, under the Norman Castle keep, despite claimed sightings of the Wall-ditch at Silver Street and Painterheugh, the line of the Wall is still uncertain.

42 P A O 1 Four Lane N 8 T Ends A E 8 91 L 1 1 S A A TA N 8 M D 6 H

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A A D 58 K A i 0 n D 1 O Cra 1 B6 R gside A g 32 6 s 4 E d 7 N oa R E n R o D Little Moor D to a r w e d o D N v N D S e A o A Dukes Moor O Westerhoe O S u R

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h N o A o i N a g U n d D d Heddon Hah Roa Walkergate u T A on U yt C Cla a P R Hunter's Moor la h E r A p e i G m 1 O l N Reigh Burn on 6 i NEWCASTLE S h t 7 1 R P o B 9 ad 1 O e A R Cathouse Gra n N ng a N e L E Heaton R A e o d D C r p R H ad o N 1 A 3 o f Brandlin t Plantation e E 8 O 9 y S 8 O 1 u u t UPON TYNE a 9 h 5 t a N A A S n l e 0 R t t e Jesmond o s S r u D 1 N ive a Dr am Hall t A D n t R O Fenh o t R o o n R d W Fenham L R E P Villae n a S o e S L O Vale d n O tr S La T L F a ital R e t Hosp DENTON O A N d e Y d r A oa t e Tyne Riverside D B T R D e E 's ter N t HALL O L un Jesmond D A A H A Chillingham OA Turret 1 W N S R Country Park 8 T S 6 D Road LD Newrn IE W R A1 H W at Newburn O O B S B 67 7 e A s 1 A A 13 ( 0 s b 1 M 6 3 t V D B b 6 8 ) o 0 1 B o E Sital 1 r 0 0 n w u ie R 8 3 Newcastle k V e r n Pa t d r 5 1 n o s t R D S T a e e t Denton Brn 8 H Y e a University e

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R u g n B M d t r I ic c u ha 3 c E e T r o el' a e i lb s R 1 r e m e G oad o D o s A M S D A r 4 ROA t 1 t N g MAIN 1 R 8 u t N e 6 S n S g B A E k r l St t N O l r D Old Benwell c R B e n R B6317 W T e AD O t o n a e d E C o S CITY R B A r L i B C va L B1311 CORPORATION t w 6 om h a e t a h 1 t 8 o m l D erc u A L 1 ia o d o A d o 3 l R O 15 r B d N n L t t 0 A l oad 3 e 6 a e t a n 6 ish 0 E e A a S 7 H t R gf o n e e 0 oratio Stree m y B in 8 B r 0 K R t ' 5 O e e 6 s S r 1 W k t B N R r R n S a a o C o P t r IT y O y e Y a I n eet D a R tr Q d i ptre S l g O T k Sce C n A u E N D S g i a A C d a y N o s T O A r T H B1 D id 43 A 3 G S S 1 L e e L W 1 a R St Lawrence A S O n e r T T v E E A e 6 i y L L S R O R L D O 8 n A n t L D D E y 1 I R L OA R Arm 5 A a e A e E s L S D O trong I M N Road 0 D H A 3 E l i E D TER l l T St Nicholas Millennium D D i 1 RACE l 6 St Mary’s ID A O B S S 1 A M 8 Y Bridge 8 L E Cathedral O A 6 ier Street 1 Cathedral U E Wharr W ET Q 17 W A RE The Black Gate R T O 63 E S L A 6 B D L & Castle Keep A d I 8 V D a A E 1 1 RO N t o CK AD d I 9 O ELSW L e A 1 R L a Newcastle W I e R Newcastle A l H r o S l L 6 T D t K R 8 e 1 E 5 N A S Central N A R s N A w PONS AELII R O ' 8 I S 1 e O n n s A S d G R C 6 D 1 e a B h B o e H u Stella Wood N R A B o B 6 e o 7 o A I d O J n r r 3 e h h la g I L i K t d 1 r s t c o e L A g d 7 s T S h m a u t S W e o s S a A R o G e t St l W r ' S s Law S k r A t G r e S r enc o e w e Y E T e a Roa v t S e H d e O t W Newcastle S L St Peters hiteh R C o o T ET Path Head Wood use 9 B O S E Ro a College 8 F 1 a a R d 3 k l ST ad 1 00 O tm P 16 R 0 w IN B B a A B T e A 1 uddle R H 7 e a M 3 oad r 0 l d SCO 0 k T B 0 l- o B TS 5 A 6 RID WO R S N 1 w T G OD o g s E S R K B S TRE Blaydon OAD a Y S a R E d t o E T A e a A69 W d 5 W BL 5 A69 IL AY 9 5 A D DO A6 R N A HI D G HWAY ER RD O W 5 d et A6 9 a W e R E 95 6 o E tr East Gateshead N A R K S S A T A I A6 H n 95 to R A A mb U 1 La O C n G r T 8 u H H H 9 rb i A C g I A e D n h 1 I n V R R i N u k S 6 Blaydon Burn O O n S t B n r 7 e A A t R e T tre e yne M D S ai I t n D AD nn Roa D OOD RO Pe d Friars Goose 5 G OTSW Gateshead d A SC R 1 E 3 1 n 6 4 o B 14 8 Gateshead s 1 l A1 S 1 i t e r A W Interchange Bewes Hills e N a e t t ad e o r R n S ur t rb r e e inn et Sk ROMAN NEWCASTLE AND GATESHEAD

The best view of the layout of Possibly the Tyne crossing was Roman Newcastle is obtained from guarded by a pre-existing fort at the top of the Norman castle keep Gateshead on the south side of the of c.1175. Both the Norman Castle river; there was certainly Roman and the Roman fort beneath it settlement there, found in the stood on a tongue of land high 1990s on the site of the Hilton above the river. The Roman bridge Hotel which dominates the view across the Tyne, the Pons Aelius, on the Gateshead side. A small fort ‘Hadrian’s Bridge’, which gave was added on the Newcastle side Newcastle its Roman name, lay in the late-second or early-third on or close to the site of the small century. This lies directly beneath Swing Bridge, just west the elevated the Castle Garth and has been Tyne Bridge of 1928. There was no partly excavated, but its plan is only Roman fort at Newcastle when the known in disconnected fragments. Wall was first built. In the paving around the keep the outlines of some of the Roman Above left: Conjectural buildings (headquarters building, plan of Newcastle fort, commanding officer’s house and based on excavated fragments granaries) have been marked out in cobble stones. Left: Inscription found in the Tyne at Newcastle recording the transfer of legionary detachments from Germany to Britain (or vice versa) (courtesy Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne and Great North Museum: Hancock)

44 View from Castle Keep towards site of Roman bridge and the settlement at Gateshead (photo Graeme Peacock)

45 Headquarters building at centre of Newcastle fort marked out in modern pavement, viewed from Castle Keep (photo Graeme Peacock)

46 The unit attested at Newcastle in Newcastle was the original starting Headquarters building at AD 213 was the First Cohort of point for Hadrian’s Wall (the length centre of Newcastle fort under excavation in the 1970s, Cugerni (originally recruited in of narrower wall running east to viewed from Castle Keep northern Germany). The fort was Wallsend being an addition). All occupied into the early years of the the way from Newcastle west to fifth century. Heddon-on-the-Wall, the Wall, The Great North Museum: Hancock, where its width has been measured, one mile north of the Castle is to the original 10 foot broad Garth, in the University area (free width. Presumably the Broad Wall admission: nearest Metro station: originally started at the Roman Haymarket) contains the most bridge, but the route by which it important collection of inscribed descended from the high ground and sculptured stones and other where the Castle stands to the river finds from Hadrian’s Wall. below is unknown. The nearest sighting of the Wall has been at Cooper’s Studios, 140m west of the Castle Keep. www.greatnorthmuseum.org.uk 47 THE ROMAN BRIDGE AT NEWCASTLE

Timbers believed to be foundations The famous medieval of the Roman bridge were found Newcastle Bridge, which stood on the same site as when the swing bridge was built in its Roman predecessor 1872. Some of these were actually medieval, from the famous 13th century bridge here – but a Roman- period radiocarbon date obtained by the WallQuest project from one timber pile now proves that the Roman bridge was on the same site as the medieval and the swing bridges.

48 Finds found in the river include It was long believed that the Roman Right: Ancient bridge two matching altars, dedicated bridge would have had a timber piers found in 1872 when the Swing Bridge to Oceanus and Neptune and superstructure, but it is now known was built. The ‘Roman’ a slab recording the arrival of that other bridges on Hadrian’s Wall timbers on this plan are Roman legionaries after a sea at Chesters and Willowford were probably medieval voyage from Germany (all in the built with graceful stone arches. Below: Altar to Oceanus Great North Museum: Hancock). Like that other Pons Aelius in Rome dedicated by the Sixth The altar dedicated to Oceanus itself, Hadrian’s bridge was probably legion. Note the anchor was the soldiers’ way of saying stone, forming a fitting monument - the legion had just they had reached the end of the at the original eastern end of completed a sea voyage, known world. Alexander the Great Hadrian’s Wall. having been transferred from Germany dedicated to the same two gods, Oceanus and Poseidon (Neptune) when he reached the mouth of the river Indus (in modern Pakistan) in 325BC.

49 The Roman bridge had an elegant arched structure like this excavated bridge at Chesters, on Hadrian’s Wall

50 FROM NEWCASTLE TO BENWELL

The south face of Wall (found here in 1952) is marked in red concrete in front of the Mining Institute: there is a plaque on the wall of the building. The Wall made a direct line towards the Stephenson monument. In the city centre a few remnants may be seen of Milecastle 4, found in 1985 at the Arts Centre at 67-75 Westgate Road (south side of the road); go through the arch and turn right into the courtyard. The Wall then follows Westgate Road out of Newcastle. The Wall lies under or close to the B6528/B6318 throughout the rest of Tyneside and indeed for a further 30 miles.

Wall found at Mining Institute in 1952

51 P A O 1 Four Lane N 8 T Ends A E 8 91 L 1 1 S A A TA N 8 M D 6 H

FO D R R I G

D O R

A A H Longbenton M H D S

R T O T

A R D R

E O E AD A O S 6 T RK R 9 W ON PA T 6 T A G BEN N T I A1 I 9 O LL 1 B D KI N 6 OA 9 R CH R 1 UR A CH O 8 19 P 1 RD A191 A O N O D

N I AT T C T E H S Pineglades L U A R South N C

D Dewley Burn D H VE Gosforth A A

8 O

O 1 1 R

A 9 3 1

D A 1 L

B L e I v

r M

D S

n K a

y l C I e K 8 A69 v 5 E D R 0

e 1 r E A LAN N A

T A N KENTO RO D 1 T ' D O S 6 R A N E 7 LT H A R S D 9 8 D 1 ROA A191 A ST COA H

A A D 58 K A i 0 n D 1 O Cra 1 B6 R gside A g 32 6 s 4 E d 7 N oa R E n R o D Little Moor D to a r w e d o D N v N D S e A o A Dukes Moor O Westerhoe O S u R

C A o a D

G Cowate D A O A e N d R O h D a B6 A T 3 o 5 T R 9 N 2 D R 8 A Wall Rapid transportS station A1 E L E P W le 6 E Nuns Moor D a tt I Aroimate walin time N r B o 9 N ad k F R t Ro U lb A Forres R R a 1 G O o W R a N B 8 T A N BENWELL G Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database rights 2016 5 ES d I S R R Fort / POI Bus interchange 10 W d Roman Temple O T O G A E a P RE 187 ©R Oxford Cartographers 98045 E&OE A A o S H ST R E IG D H A Walottle d a T A e e Wallsend d c A N h l 1 1 a l oa 6 r i 7 O R 8 r e 3 H y 67 R 19 e A1 8 T A T l Town Moor T o S y S H r o TA 0 E P M 67 u L F 1 0 O A b RDHA R D M ROAD 6 h Walerille O t D 1 o U A B R s D B This situation is a legacy of the The positions of Milecastles 5, 6 and D en A rd O T A a R h 6 G e

0 ee A SEGEDUNUM 8 construction of a new military road 7 are unknown. C B tr v 5 N e e e Roman Fort Centre H n l n E p u Engine f p N I i e L e A East Denton N l L Walerate d S O between Newcastle and Carlisle D I D Plantation R L 5 N L o 0 Just east of Benwell fort the A IE R 3 G a O d H Clayton's Wood E 1 S V R H d L B a I in the aftermath of the Jacobite S N D A Wallsend o e foundations of the Wall have been t M R A h N 6 e l 9 r l b A S D SEGEDUNUM t a y T o R D R t H r rebellion of 1745, which utilised the S t iv O s E n e seen under the centre of theD road R

h N o A o i N a g U n d D d Heddon Hah Roa Walkergate u T A on U yt line of the Wall and levelled it for C Cla a P R Hunter's Moor la h E and the ditch has been found just r A p e i G m 1 O l N Reigh Burn on 6 i NEWCASTLE S h t 7 1 R P o B 9 ad 1 hardcore. West of Newcastle this O north of the north pavement in the R e A Cathouse Gra n N ng a N e L E Heaton R A e o d D C r p road is still known locally as ‘The R H ad o N 1 A 3 o f Brandlin t Plantation e E grounds of the Westgate Centre8 for O 9 y S 8 O 1 u u t UPON TYNE a 9 h 5 t a N A A S n l e 0 R t t e Jesmond o s S r u D 1 N ive a Dr am Hall t A D n t R O Fenh o t R Military Road’ – not to be confused o o n R d W Fenham L R E P Remains of a milecastle, Villae n a Sport and City Learning Centre. S o e S L O Vale d n O tr S La T L F a ital R e t Hosp DENTON O A N d e Y d r A oa t e D B T R D e Tyne Riverside with the Military Way, the name for E r's found at the Westgate Road te N t HALL O L un Jesmond D A A H A Chillingham OA Turret 1 W N S R Country Park 8 T S 6 D Arts Centre in 1985 Road LD Newrn the Roman road running between IE W R A1 H W at Newburn O O B S B 67 7 e A s 1 A A 13 ( 0 s b 1 M 6 3 t V D B b 6 8 ) o 0 1 B o E Sital 1 r 0 the Wall and the Vallum. 0 n w u ie R 8 3 Newcastle k V e r n Pa t d r 5 1 n o s t R D S T a e e t Denton Brn 8 H Y e a University e

A A t r A m i W W r o HIGH ST S r v n R Tones C S L E Library a e E L L O F n R T A E o i F a n RE u C 3 d ed e d a MO 9 A

e r t Ro R P 1

n e A

W ad ic O V e NT e A

E A h A r S d a R S E

oa t T v n R c or 1 r R T 1 R

o Royal Victoria S N R e d r

M 8 L o y O 5 o

s s O r 9 A n o n A m

0 u 9 A g U T e

OR t k S 6 r R wic e A D ar e 6 D o B F W 1 t 0 t 8 A e R 5 A Y c S r 8 i 7

O t O Newcastle A D D 9 V S 6

H R a W 2 1 R d a R N ri lte n 1 an r R n R T e A A N o er University B a ra A o

d c S e e r LE O B Northumbria MI T B u y N B GT Leminton N AR Q ON E R University R B Ne A B OA D 1 e w M C 7 1 D 3 u ills S B130 12 n K t 7 6 3 Road 1 T 0 B1 Welbeck e h 0 1 J t v R Haymarket U o 3 C ma O 0 O e N A 1 O

s e A ' B H I e O S L r

t s D t N N re L AD S a e O R t E S R 3 e 1 D r Shield- D 3 G EL O 1 P I B a H Low Waler O S A T E n D B o E S c E S T l Byker d T a S yn R O R F Waler e field T B V T ie N E oa O 1 w S 3 T W R E D Sugley ES S T 1 E e Arthrs Hill D T T R Y E 3 E O v Northumbria A

H R B A

0 B O City Campus East R S 0 NUFC 9 T R T e

A c W I A i o A e r

6 O t T t w C 3 1 a H 0 s n t

86 v L K R

S e L N B 8 D 8 L E Monument 1 H

C A e A 9 E O E 6 A t G R

A W E T 1 A S W R W O E K S L T

O 9 T R G G Y Byer O A Manors L Field D TE S B R 1 B1 R 3 Newcastle i R O 11 OA A A M D t N D T Grainger ree Ho O

U G t w

O a S r A Science Central E t d t P Stre B l e ee et C rk r S

o i t a S D 1 S Market l S M e t S

R u g n B M d t r I ic c u ha 3 c E e T r o el' a e i lb s R 1 r

e m e G oad o D o s A M S D A r 4 ROA t 1 t N g MAIN 1 R 8 u t N e 6 S n S g B A E k r l St t N O l r D Old Benwell c R B e n R B6317 W T e AD O t o n a e d E C o S CITY R B A r L i B C va L B1311 CORPORATION t w 6 om h a e t a h 1 t 8 o m l D erc u A L 1 ia o d o A d o 3 l R O 15 r B d N n L t t 0 A l oad 3 e 6 a e t a n 6 ish 0 E e A a S 7 H t R gf o n e e 0 oratio Stree m y B in 8 B r 0 K R t ' 5 O e e 6 s S r 1 W k t B N R r R n S a a o C o P t r IT y O y e Y a I n eet D a R tr Q d i ptre S l g O T k Sce C n A u E N D S g i a A C d a y N o s T O A r T H B1 D id A 3 G S S 1 L e e L W 1 a R St Lawrence A S O n e r T T v E E A e 6 i y L L S R O R L D O 8 n A n t L D D E y 1 I R L OA R Arm 5 A a e A e E s L S D O trong I M N Road 0 D H A 3 E l i E D TER l l T St Nicholas Millennium D D i 1 RACE l 6 St Mary’s ID A O B S S 1 A M 8 Y Bridge 8 L E Cathedral O A 6 ier Street 1 Cathedral U E Wharr W ET Q 17 W A RE The Black Gate R T O 63 E S L A 6 B D L & Castle Keep A d I 8 V D a A E 1 1 RO N t o CK AD d I 9 O ELSW L e A 1 R L a Newcastle W I e R Newcastle A l H r o S l L 6 T D t K R 8 e 1 E 5 N A S Central N A R s N A w PONS AELII R O ' 8 I S 1 e O n n s A S d G R C 6 D 1 e a B h B o e H u Stella Wood N R A B o B 6 e o 7 o A I d O J n r r 3 e h h la g I L i K t d 1 r s t c o e L A g d 7 s T S h m a u t S W e o s S a A R o G e t St l W r ' S s Law S k r A t G r e S r enc o e w e Y E T e a Roa v t S e H d e O t W Newcastle S L St Peters hiteh R C o o T ET Path Head Wood use 9 B O S E Ro 52 a College 8 F 1 a a R d 3 k l ST ad 1 00 O tm P 16 R 0 w IN B B a A B T e A 1 uddle R H 7 e a M 3 oad r 0 l d SCO 0 k T B 0 l- o B TS 5 A 6 RID WO R S N 1 w T G OD o g s E S R K B S TRE Blaydon OAD a Y S a R E d t o E T A e a A69 W d 5 W BL 5 A69 IL AY 9 5 A D DO A6 R N A HI D G HWAY ER RD O W 5 d et A6 9 a W e R E 95 6 o E tr East Gateshead N A R K S S A T A I A6 H n 95 to R A A mb U 1 La O C n G r T 8 u H H H 9 rb i A C g I A e D n h 1 I n V R R i N u k S 6 Blaydon Burn O O n S t B n r 7 e A A t R e T tre e yne M D S ai I t n D AD nn Roa D OOD RO Pe d Friars Goose 5 G OTSW Gateshead d A SC R 1 E 3 1 n 6 4 o B 14 8 Gateshead s 1 l A1 S 1 i t e r A W Interchange Bewes Hills e N

a e t t ad e o r R n S ur t rb r e e inn et Sk BENWELL FORT - CONDERCUM

Benwell fort is three miles from Newcastle, where the main road which overlies the line of Hadrian’s Wall (known here as West Road) reaches its highest point. The Roman name for Benwell was Condercum, which means ‘the place with a fine view’. The fort indeed commanded a splendid view from its hilltop position. It was built about AD 122 and occupied until the end of the Roman period, in the early AD 400s. For over 200 years of that time it was the home of a cavalry regiment of Asturians, originally recruited in Spain.

Plan of Benwell fort obtained in 1937

53 P A O 1 Four Lane N 8 T Ends A E 8 91 L 1 1 S A A TA N 8 M D 6 H

FO D R R I G

D O R

A A H Longbenton M H D S

R T O T

A R D R

E O E AD A O S 6 T RK R 9 W ON PA T 6 T A G BEN N T I A1 I 9 O LL 1 B D KI N 6 OA 9 R CH R 1 UR A CH O 8 19 P 1 RD A191 A O N O D

N I AT T C T E H S Pineglades L U A R South N C

D Dewley Burn D H VE Gosforth A A

8 O

O 1 1 R

A 9 3 1

D A 1 L

B L

e I

r M

D S

n K a

l C I e K 8 A69 v 5 E D R 0

e 1 r E A LAN N A

T A N KENTO RO D 1 T ' D O S 6 R A N E 7 LT H A R S D 9 8 D 1 ROA A191 A ST COA H

I G

e H n a S L ane K tal L T n E R N i 8 g P E A g 8 i O E T B b N 1 w T A P e W N E Ilford O L E N A A Road H s T 69 N T den T r E D Ga L A ire ne sh La A R ilt w M W kro N 1 O ac A A Bl D Paddy Freeman's Park D R

A A D 58 K A i 0 n D 1 O Cra 1 B6 R gside A g 32 6 s 4 E d 7 N oa R E n R o D Little Moor D to a r w e d o D N v N D S e A o A Dukes Moor O Westerhoe O S u R

C A o a D

Ban To c the-wall h 8 R d 05 W B o 1 a B A o a o e y H British fleet inscription 1 B s d A R d W 3 e t S TH e West n S R O l T 18 f t Throcley R t A AD i r o N t 1 A O e T R e a E o M 9 Jesmond T l e R 1 S d d R b 1 A t A l N O CE from Benwell,F naming A 6 C R a O 7 e o W w a

RD t d Wallsend Sta h o P tio t a n R r n r o o H ad ay the emperor Hadrian R k nton W N West De A D Jesmond Dene o R T M A a o EAS d a T n Walk route Mainline rail station 0 5 10 15 mintes E O d TRE e D S e R R GH r I O A D H

h N o A o i N a g U n d D d Heddon Hah Roa Walkergate u T A on U yt C Cla a P R Hunter's Moor la h E r A p e i G m 1 O l N Reigh Burn on 6 i NEWCASTLE S h t 7 1 R P o B 9 ad 1 O e A R Cathouse Gra n N ng a N e L E Heaton R A e o d D C r p R H ad o N 1 A 3 o f Brandlin t Plantation e E 8 O 9 y S 8 O 1 u u t UPON TYNE a 9 h 5 t a N A A S n l e 0 R t t e Jesmond o s S r u D 1 N ive a Dr am Hall t A D n t R O Fenh o t R o o n R d W Fenham L R E P Villae n a S o e S L O Vale d n O tr S La T L F a ital R e t Hosp DENTON O A N d e Y d r A oa t e Tyne Riverside D B T R D e E 's ter N t HALL O L un Jesmond D A A H A Chillingham OA Turret 1 W N S R Country Park 8 T S The part of the fort which projected These excavations also found6 a D Road LD Newrn IE W R A1 H W at Newburn O O B S B 67 7 e A s 1 A A 13 ( 0 s b 1 M 6 3 t V D B b 6 8 ) o 0 1 B o E north of the Wall is obliterated magnificent inscription recording Sital 1 r 0 0 n w u ie R 8 3 Newcastle k V e r n Pa t d r 5 1 n o s t R D S T a e e t Denton Brn 8 H Y e a University e

A A t r A m i W W r o HIGH ST S r v n R Tones C S L E Library a e E L L O F n R T by a reservoir (a radio mast marks Hadrian and his governor Aulus A E o i F a n RE u C 3 d ed e d a MO 9 A

e r t Ro R P 1

n e A

W ad ic O V e NT e A

E A h A r S d a R S E

oa t T v n R c or 1 r R T 1 R

o Royal Victoria S N the northern wall of the fort). A Platorius Nepos as the builders R e d r M 8 L o y O 5 o

s s O r 9 A n o n A m

0 u 9 A g U T e

D u N n Infirmary N Newcastle 3 t g 3 a e S R D M t E F R r 1 u s D n o i v e d R i l e e a Shopping Park s B y A o d R I h Te h r L v d a ra O e c C locksmith’s business, the entrance of the fort, and stating that the e a e d A L r o n E S D u R D A t 1 R e r a et e 8 i Stre A

OR t k S 6 r R wic e A D ar e 6 D o B F W 1 t 0 t 8 A e R 5 A Y to the residential street Denhill building of the fort granaries c S r 8 7 i

O t O Newcastle A D D 9 V S 6

H R a W 2 1 R d a R N ri lte n 1 an r R n R T e A A N o er University B a ra A o

d c S e e r LE O B Northumbria MI T B u y N B GT Park, andLeminton a jobcentre now occupy (storehouses)N was carried out by the AR Q ON E R University R B Ne A B OA D 1 e w M C 7 1 D 3 u ills S B130 12 n K t 7 6 3 Road 1 T 0 B1 Welbeck e h 0 1 J t v R Haymarket U o 3 C ma O 0 O e N A 1 O the central part of the fort. The classis Britannica – the Roman fleet s e A ' B H I e O S L r

t s D t N N re L AD S a e O R t E S R 3 e 1 D r Shield- D 3 G EL O 1 P I B a H Low Waler O S A T E n D southern part was covered by in Britain. B o E S c E S T l Byker d T a S yn R O R F Waler e field T B V T ie N E oa O 1 w S 3 T W R E D Sugley ES S T 1 E e Arthrs Hill D T T R Y E 3 E houses in 1937, when a hurried but v O Northumbria A

H R B A

0 B O City Campus East R S 0 NUFC 9 T R T e

A c W I A i o A e r

6 O t T t w C 3 1 a H 0 s n t

brilliant rescue excavation recovered 86 v L K R

8 S T o K 1 T C o S C E o a 5 o e ce B d H r Eldon Square H L Fer B a E d guson g l W A e 's P t A L G R a a P W A i n l y M e l e r B d r 2 h i n e e Shopping n 3 1 L V l b 19 d o l 3 Ben i w ) A W w t a 1 ell o n tr Centre EET B S w h g S E STR something of the fort plan. NEW BRIDG C T t M e g o r i ( R VIE r n St James K A A W W A lb E 7 ion Ro B A T w a S GA Battle N 13 3 1 t W W B1 y r 1 O 6 T A

S e L N B 8 D 8 L E Monument 1 H

C A e A 9 E O E 6 A t G R

A W E T 1 A S W R W O E K S L T

O 9 T R G G Y Byer O A Manors L Field D TE S B R 1 B1 R 3 Newcastle i R O 11 OA A A M D t N D T Grainger ree Ho O

U G t w

O a S r A Science Central E t d t P Stre B l e ee et C rk r S

o i t a S D 1 S Market l S M e t S

R u g n B M d t r I ic c u ha 3 c E e T r o el' a e i lb s R 1 r

e m e G oad o D o s A M S D A r 4 ROA t 1 t N g MAIN 1 R 8 u t N e 6 S n S g B A E k r l St t N O l r D Old Benwell c R B e n R B6317 W T e AD O t o n a e d E C o S CITY R B A r L i B C va L B1311 CORPORATION t w 6 om h a e t a h 1 t 8 o m l D erc u A L 1 ia o d o A d o 3 l R O 15 r B d N n L t t 0 A l oad 3 e 6 a e t a n 6 ish 0 E e A a S 7 H t R gf o n e e 0 oratio Stree m y B in 8 B r 0 K R t ' 5 O e e 6 s S r 1 W k t B N R r R n S a a o C o P t r IT y O y e Y a I n eet D a R tr Q d i ptre S l g O T k Sce C n A u E N D S g i a A C d a y N o s T O A r T H B1 D id A 3 G S S 1 L e e L W 1 a R St Lawrence A S O n e r T T v E E A e 6 i y L L S R O R L D O 8 n A n t L D D E y 1 I R L OA R Arm 5 A a e A e E s L S D O trong I M N Road 0 D H A 3 E l i E D TER l l T St Nicholas Millennium D D i 1 RACE l 6 St Mary’s ID A O B S S 1 A M 8 Y Bridge 8 L E Cathedral O A 6 ier Street 1 Cathedral U E Wharr W ET Q 17 W A RE The Black Gate R T O 63 E S L A 6 B D L & Castle Keep A d I 8 V D a A E 1 1 RO N t o CK AD d I 9 O ELSW L e A 1 R L a Newcastle W I e R Newcastle A l H r o S l L 6 T D t K R 8 e 1 E 5 N A S Central N A R s N A w PONS AELII R O ' 8 I S 1 e O n n s A S d G R C 6 D 1 e a B h B o e H u Stella Wood N R A B o B 6 e o 7 o A I d O J n r r 3 e h h la g I L i K t d 1 r s t c o e L A g d 7 s T S h m a u t S W e o s S a A R o G e t St l W r ' S s Law S k r A t G r e S r enc o e w e Y E T e a Roa v t S e H d e O t W Newcastle S L St Peters hite R C 54 ho o 9 T B O ET Path Head Wood use S E Ro a College 8 F 1 a a R d 3 k l ST ad 1 00 O tm P 16 R 0 w IN B B a A B T e A 1 uddle R H 7 e a M 3 oad r 0 l d SCO 0 k T B 0 l- o B TS 5 A 6 RID WO R S N 1 w T G OD o g s E S R K B S TRE Blaydon OAD a Y S a R E d t o E T A e a A69 W d 5 W BL 5 A69 IL AY 9 5 A D DO A6 R N A HI D G HWAY ER RD O W 5 d et A6 9 a W e R E 95 6 o E tr East Gateshead N A R K S S A T A I A6 H n 95 to R A A mb U 1 La O C n G r T 8 u H H H 9 rb i A C g I A e D n h 1 I n V R R i N u k S 6 Blaydon Burn O O n S t B n r 7 e A A t R e T tre e yne M D S ai I t n D AD nn Roa D OOD RO Pe d Friars Goose 5 G OTSW Gateshead d A SC R 1 E 3 1 n 6 4 o B 14 8 Gateshead s 1 l A1 S 1 i t e r A W Interchange Bewes Hills e N

a e t t ad e o r R n S ur t rb r e e inn et Sk Two excavated Roman structures are on display at Benwell: the gated crossing of the Vallum (the Roman earthwork running parallel to and south of the Wall), 60m south of the fort (walk down from West Road to the bottom of Denhill Park and obtain key from nearby house), found in 1933, and the Temple of Antenociticus, south-east of the Left: Vallum crossing as fort in Broomridge Avenue (turn it might have appeared (courtesy Hadrian’s Wall south into Weidner Road, sharp Trust, drawing by Graham right into Spring Hill Gardens, and Sumner) sharp left into Broomridge Avenue; the temple is on the left). This Above: The Temple of little temple (found in 1862) was Antenociticus at Benwell (photo Graeme Peacock) dedicated to an otherwise unknown Celtic deity, parts of whose cult statue can be seen in the Great North Museum: Hancock, at Newcastle.

55 The god, Antenociticus, is depicted Archaeologists have long suspected as a youth with luxuriant hair. that remains of Roman Benwell His temple attracted a high class survive hidden below ground level. of worshipper: one of the altar There are a few open areas suitable inscriptions (those on the site for investigation in the area of the are casts, the originals are in the vicus, or civilian settlement, outside Great North Museum) records the the fort walls, and the WallQuest gratitude of a cavalry commander, Benwell project wanted to mobilise Tineius Longus, on becoming a interested local people to help member of the Senate of Rome. find out what survives, and to add to our knowledge of the Roman heritage of the west end of Newcastle.

Head of the god Antenociticus from Benwell

56 Volunteers excavated in available open areas in 2013-14 to find traces of this hidden archaeology and to show for the first time how big the civilian settlement outside the fort was. In the grounds of Hadrian School, about 175m west of Benwell fort and immediately south of Hadrian’s Wall, which runs under the main West Road, volunteers immediately found Roman remains belonging to the civilian settlement, recovering significant amounts of second and third century Roman pottery from a complex of small ditched enclosures immediately behind the Wall. It is believed that these are agricultural plots on the western fringes of the civilian settlement that clustered around the fort at Benwell.

Excavation on ditched enclosures belonging to the civilian settlement, 175m west of Benwell fort in the grounds of Hadrian School

57 Roman road running behind South of these ditches, and about the Wall (the Military Way) 30m south of the centre-line of the found by WallQuest at West Road (the line of Hadrian’s Hadrian School, Benwell Wall) was the northern edge of the Military Way, very well preserved as a single layer of cobbles laid directly over bedrock, 7.5m (25 Roman feet wide), only 450mm (18”) beneath the modern ground surface. 21m south of the Roman road was the centre-line of the north Vallum mound, which survived as a shallow upstand of mixed yellow clay, 6m wide. The rock-cut north lip of the Vallum ditch was located 9m from the south edge of the mound. This places the centre of the Vallum ditch at a distance of 80m from the centre-line of the West Road, meaning that the Vallum runs 20m closer to the Wall than previously thought and shown on OS Maps.

58 Reconstruction showing extent of civilian settlement (vicus) established outside the fort by WallQuest

59 Directly south of the fort, at a He is not the ‘Bobby Shafto’ distance of between 200 and of the famous local song, who 275m, four excavation trenches belonged to a different branch areas were opened in the Pendower of the family. The Benwell Shafto Estate, south of Hadrian School also discovered the fort baths in a (former Dorcas Avenue, south of field near his house, and made a Bertram, Crescent). Three out of detailed drawing of them, which four produced Roman features and still exists. They apparently lay 300 large quantities of Roman pottery. yards south-west of the fort, which This establishes that surviving traces would place them in the Pendower of the civilian settlement extend at estate. As at Wallsend, the remains least 275m south of Benwell fort of this long lost Roman baths may down the slope towards the Tyne. still survive underground to be Robert Shafto (1717-1780), who rediscovered one day. lived at Benwell Tower, recorded many Roman finds when the new military road between Newcastle and Carlisle was built through Owners’ names Benwell fort in 1751. inscribed on Roman Plan by Robert Shafto of samian ware from Benwell of Roman baths Benwell found 300m south-west of the fort in the 1750s (by kind permission of the Society of Antiquaries of London)

60 FROM BENWELL TO THE NORTH TYNE

Following the main road west, the ground falls steeply away from Benwell fort into the valley of the Denton Burn. Here for a short distance the eighteenth century Military Road ran parallel to, rather than overlying, the Roman Wall, which is exposed and visible in places on the south side of the road. At the Denton roundabout, there is a fake fragment of Wall in the forecourt of the Jet petrol station (against the east gable end of Solomon’s Indian Restaurant), and a more substantial fragment of Broad Wall just west of Solomon’s, by the Kwikfit garage.

The Wall fragment by Kwikfit garage, as it looked in 1802

61 Denton Turret, 7B Just west of Turret 7B the line of (photo Graeme Peacock) the Wall is also crossed by the A1 Newcastle bypass, opened in 1990. Although the bypass destroyed a length of the Wall and the Vallum, these were recorded in a rescue excavation and fully published. A spectacular cross-section across the Vallum was obtained. The Vallum ditch had been cut through solid rock by the Roman builders. Between Throckley and Heddon a utilities trench in the road led in 2002 to the discovery of emplacements for timber obstacles in the space between the Wall and This piece of the Wall was, until Between Turret 7B and Milecastle 9 its ditch running for a distance of recent excavations at Wallsend, the line of the eighteenth century over one kilometre. This discovery the ‘first extant fragment’ from the Military Road and the remains of showed that the obstacles at Byker, east, famously illustrated by the the Wall were heavily disturbed by east of Newcastle, were not a traveller Hutton in 1802 with an the A69 dual carriageway, built in localised feature, and that these apple tree growing out of it. Further the 1970s. extra defences also occur west of on, Turret 7B and good stretch of Newcastle. Broad Wall are visible on south side of the road immediately east of the A1 Bypass. The turret was excavated in 1929.

62 Cross section across the Vallum at Denton. The Vallum ditch here is cut through solid sandstone

Above: The ruins of the Wall at Heddon as depicted in the mid-1800s

Right: Exposed stretch of Broad Wall at Heddon-on-the- Wall (photo Graeme Peacock)

64 Further west the Wall is completely The B6528 may be a modern hidden by, but known to survive tarmacadam road, but seen from under, the modern road surface the air or on a map it illustrates the of the B6528. Visitors armed with ruthless, undeviating course of the a good map, such as the English Wall in a striking fashion. Heritage Archaeological Map Travellers along the line of the of Hadrian’s Wall, can trace the Wall pass through two more positions of various milecastles and forts, Rudchester (Vindobala) and turrets between Newcastle and the Halton Chesters (Onnum) before North Tyne, though there is little or reaching the North Tyne. There is nothing to see of them. The Wall little to see at either except for faint itself is unencumbered by the road earthworks. and visible only in two excavated At the North Tyne, 27 miles west stretches, at Heddon-on-the-Wall of Wallsend, the Wall crossed (Wall-mile 11) and at Planetrees the turbulent river by means of The site of Milecastle 9 (Wall mile 26), just before the North a magnificent bridge. The river just before Blucher village Tyne is reached. Nevertheless the is reached (photo Graeme crossing was guarded by the fort at Wall has left an unmistakeable mark Peacock) Chesters (Cilurnum), on the west on the landscape, for the Military side of the river, where extensive Road following its line rises and falls excavated remains, in the care of precipitately as it pursues the dead English Heritage, can be visited. straight surveyed lines of the Wall across the undulating countryside.

65 AN EXCAVATION ON THE DITCH OF HADRIAN’S WALL

In 2013-14 soldiers from Operation Nightingale (funded by the Soldiers’ Charity) which seeks to use archaeology to aid the recovery pathways of wounded, injured and disabled servicemen and women, along with soldiers from 5 Medical Regiment and volunteers from the WallQuest community archaeology project, excavated the ditch of Hadrian’s Wall on either side of the entrance drive to Albemarle Barracks, halfway between milecastles 15 and 16. The Wall and the ditch had never previously been investigated in this area.

The excavation on the Wall-ditch at Albemarle Barracks (Wall mile 15)

66 The team revealed the upper Elsewhere, on Tyneside, this mound profile of the Wall ditch in two occurs alongside the newly- places, establishing the approximate recognised obstacles on the berm location of the Wall (which lies a – it was probably to prevent people standard 6m from the south edge trying to crawl through between of the ditch) under the road B6318 the bottoms of the timber uprights Military Road for the first time. set in pits between the Wall and the Severe waterlogging prevented ditch. Unfortunately at Albemarle the excavation from reaching the the open area south of the mound bottom of the ditch. But there was in which these would have been an important discovery: the south situated lay outside the excavations, lip of the ditch was found to have under the north carriageway of the a previously unrecorded stepped B6318, so their presence cannot be profile – dipping suddenly before proved, although the results of the levelling out and dipping again. excavation make it likely that they Cross-section through the This may have been intended to occur this far west. upper profile of the ditch, accentuate a mound running showing a stony mound The twenty-first century soldiers running along the south the north edge of the berm (the digging at Albemarle worked lip, and a steep drop from space between Hadrian’s Wall tirelessly in extremely difficult, this to a stepped profile and its frontal ditch), of which waterlogged conditions, and went some remnants were found in away full of admiration for their the excavation. Roman predecessors who had first dug the ditch!

67 QUEST FOR A LOST ROMAN ROAD

The WallQuest project activities extended as far west along the wall as the area of Hexham and Corbridge. An active group of local researchers based in the village of Acomb, helped by volunteers travelling out from Tyneside, decided to search for a lost Roman road – the Stanegate – in the area of the North Tyne.

68 WHAT IS THE STANEGATE? ‘The Stanegate’ is the term used by Before the Wall was built, forts archaeologists for a Roman road along the Stanegate formed a that runs in an east-west direction defensive chain against the north. on low-lying ground to the south After Hadrian’s Wall was built of Hadrian’s Wall. The road was (AD 122) the Stanegate road line in existence before the Wall was ceased to be a fortified line but built. The Stanegate road has only remained in use to the rear of been traced for certain between the Wall as the most direct route Corbridge, on the Tyne, and between Corbridge and Carlisle. Carlisle, in the west. The Stanegate The road survives in the landscape has never been reliably traced east and in places is still used by modern of Corbridge, in the Tyneside area. highways. Much of it was well- known to antiquarian writers: Horsley (1732) compared it to ‘the string to a bow’, the route being shorter than the Military Way that followed the Wall.

Left: The Stanegate road, with (dashed) the unknown portion between Corbridge and the North Tyne (map by Frontiers of the Roman Empire Culture 2000 project (2005-2008)

Right: The complex of remains at the centre of the Roman town at Corbridge

69 A LOST ROMAN ROAD

Archaeological excavation has around the villages of Wall, Acomb found a Roman road – presumably and Anick on the east side of the Stanegate – as it leaves the North Tyne, and in fields the Corbridge to cross the Cor Burn Warden area on the west side. and head west. To the west, it The results were negative: no has been traced from Newbrough trace of the Roman road line via Fourstones, until it skirts the came to light. This does not prove north side of Warden Hill and just that the Roman road never came begins to turn south. Between through this area, as it is possible these two points it has never been that it once existed and has been seen. Exactly where the road ran, destroyed by ploughing. Also, in and most importantly, where it certain soil conditions, geophysical crossed the river North Tyne, are survey may not succeed in detecting mysteries which have long intrigued buried remains. archaeologists and local residents. But although it cannot disprove it, In 2013-14 WallQuest volunteers the survey does make it less likely undertook 200ha of geophysical that the road crossed the river by magnetometry survey – a the village of Wall as has often remote sensing technique which been suggested. can produce images of buried If a straight line from the Wall to archaeological remains – in fields Corbridge looks unlikely, what

The WallQuest team at work in fields near Acomb

70 ROMAN CAMPS AT HOWFORD

other evidence, old and new, did the camps here makes it very likely the Acomb team find to suggest that this was the point where the the course of the Stanegate? main Roman east-west route – the One important clue was found missing Stanegate – crossed the on the recent English Heritage North Tyne. In more recent times E

N Archaeological Map of Hadrian’s this has been a crossing place, Y

Wall (2010), which displays the as the name, Howford, belonging H

T findings of new archaeological sites to a lane running to the North R

O made by the Hadrian’s Wall section Tyne immediately north of the N of the English Heritage National camps, shows. ACOMB Mapping Programme. If this is correct there should have Any new images? The new map shows two Roman been a permanent Roman post temporary camps in cultivated fields to guard the river crossing, at TYNE on the level haugh or floodplain least in the early days when the SOUTH immediately south-east of the Stanegate was a fortified line. meeting of the North and South A possible location is the higher Tynes. ‘Camp’ is the term used ground surrounding Broom Park, for Roman military sites that were 400m north of the camps, where a used on campaign, or episodically, possible crop mark shows on an old containing leather tents rather air photograph, but unfortunately than buildings found in permanent the entire area north of Howford forts. Groups or clusters of Roman Lane has been gravel-quarried, so Roman camps at Howford camps like this often occur on the expected Roman fort may well major campaign or communication have been destroyed. routes, and often sit alongside a permanent fort. The presence of

71 THE ‘ACOMB MAN’

One more discovery points to Howford as the likely crossing point: the discovery there of a piece of Roman period sculpture. The ‘Acomb Man’, now displayed in Acomb village, was found in 1970 on the banks of the North Tyne, just north of the watersmeet at Howford. A crudely executed frontal relief in celtic rather than classical style depicts a smiling, bearded figure holding a club-like object upright in his right hand and another, unidentified, object in his left. There is little doubt about the authenticity of this as a piece of the Roman period. It seems possible that the stone could have come from a shrine at the bridge or ford by which the road crossed the river; alternatively it might have stood by the side of the entry to the ford/bridge.

The Acomb Man

72 THE PROBABLE COURSE OF THE STANEGATE

What does a river crossing at on the north slopes of Warden Hill, the watersmeet tell us about the turning south just opposite Wall course of the Stanegate in general? village. To get to the proposed East of the North Tyne the most Howford crossing from here the natural route from Corbridge to the road would have run down the crossing by the camps would skirt west bank of the North Tyne, along the high ground: essentially the the general course followed by the same route along the foot of the old road from Walwick Grange to ground rising to the north as taken Warden known as Homer’s Lane. by the A69 dual carriageway and The route around the south side before that by an old carriers’ route. of Warden Hill might have been West of the North Tyne the most thought too dangerous, confining direct route would have been travellers to a bottleneck between that of the modern road and the river and the steep slopes of the railway skirting the south side of hill, prone to flooding and inviting Warden Hill between Warden and to ambush. Fourstones. But against this is the reliable sighting of the Stanegate

Map showing geophysical survey areas and the probable Stanegate rIver crossing to the south of these

73 A FINAL CLUE: THE CRINDLEDYKES MILESTONE

One other important piece the ground to exceed the milestone of evidence remained to be distance. At 15.5 Roman miles the considered. At Crindledykes Farm proposed route via the north side of on the Stanegate, far to the west Warden Hill and Howford, is close of the North Tyne, about a mile enough to fit the distance. east of Vindolanda, a group of five The case for the missing Stanegate inscribed Roman milestones was crossing of the North Tyne being discovered in 1885, with fragments at Howford is a strong one, but of two more. On one milestone, may never be proven. Not only dated to AD 222-3, a distance is has gravel quarrying probably given: 14 miles. It has long been removed some of the key evidence, recognised that this is almost but flooding, erosion and alluvial certainly the distance measured deposition at the meeting of the from Crindledykes to Corbridge. turbulent North and South Tynes Roman milestone distances may well have masked or destroyed commonly understate the actual traces of Roman and later routes. distance in Roman miles, because Despite the valuable clues found measurement was made not from by the WallQuest volunteers from centre-to-centre of towns and other Acomb and Tyneside, further survey settlements, but from some point work is needed before this mystery in their outer limits. For this reason can be finally resolved. we should expect the distance on

The Crindleykes milestone on the Stanegate, giving the distance (MP XIII = 14 miles) to Corbridge

74 THE FINAL ABANDONMENT OF THE WALL

Use of the Wall and its forts by the Roman army seems to have ceased quite suddenly when the Roman empire lost control of Britain in around AD 410. There is some evidence for the violent overwhelming of personnel in military sites at this time, seen at South Shields, where the remains of two individuals who had been executed with swords were found buried in the ruins of the commanding officer’s house and radiocarbon dated to the early 400s. On the other hand, there are indications that some Wall- forts, including South Shields, were redefended and occupied by groups of people well into the fifth Final devastation - century. However, by the time that remains of victims the Anglo-Saxon invaders arrived executed with swords, radiocarbon dated to around 550, all Roman sites seem the early 400s, found to have been in an advanced state inside the Roman fort of of ruin. Arbeia, South Shields

75 HADRIAN’S WALL AFTER THE ROMANS

The remains of Hadrian’s Wall South Shields (Arbeia) may have Anglo-Saxon cross from strongly influenced the later become an Anglo-Saxon royal Arbeia Roman Fort South Shields pattern of human settlement in centre: the site has produced finds Tynedale and Tyneside. Occupation of the seventh to ninth centuries, at some forts continued after the and there is a tradition that King end of Roman rule. Burials at both Oswin was born there, in the Wallsend and Benwell show that early 600s. these forts were used as pagan cemeteries after the Anglian invasions, and later in the Anglo- Saxon period Newcastle fort was the site of an important Christian cemetery, probably associated with an undiscovered monastery there.

76 When the population began to expand, the Wall was used as a quarry for building stone, first for churches and then for other buildings. The Saxon church towers of Tynedale, such as Bywell, Ovingham and Corbridge, are built of stones taken from the Roman Wall. The plan of the medieval town of Newcastle was strongly influenced by the Roman remains. The Normans, for example, chose the site of the fort with its Anglo- Saxon cemetery as a site for their new castle. Westgate Road was built over the infilled Roman Wall- ditch and its line can be traced into The crypt of Hexham the heart of the modern city. Abbey, built entirely of Roman stones from Corbridge and Chesters

77 In the post-Roman centuries the Throughout the medieval period, visible remains of the Wall were a the Wall was still known locally and link to the Roman past. When the its name is found as an element first stone churches were built in in many place-names (Wallsend, the Tyne Valley in the late seventh Walker, Walbottle, Wall, and century, they were modelled on many others).‘Chesters’, which is ‘Roman’ prototypes and probably such a common element in the drew some of their inspiration from modern fort names (but only in the ruined Roman landscape that Northumberland, not in Cumbria), provided their setting. is derived from the Old English ceaster, and ultimately from the Latin castra (meaning a camp), and was applied in Saxon times to Roman forts and walled towns in Britain. Newcastle was known as Monkchester before the Norman castle there gave it its modern name.

View of Roman Wall at Byker by Stukeley (1776) showing how the turnpike road (now Shields Road) follows the Wall, on the north side of the ditch

78 In medieval times the Wall was known of nationally and internationally, appearing in chronicles and being shown on maps of Britain. In the sixteenth century, specific sites on the Wall began to be described by antiquarians, and in the early eighteenth century detailed first accounts and plans were published.

Left: Horsley’s map of 1732, showing Hadrian’s Wall on Tyneside and a plan of Benwell fort

79 Far left: WallQuest volunteers survey Roman blocks inside the Anglo-Saxon church at Corbridge

Left: Hadrian’s Wall between Throckley and Heddon-on-the-Wall. The remains of the Wall lie buried beneath the modern road, which runs along the line of the Wall for many miles (photo Graeme Peacock)

80 The building of the Military Road over the line of the Wall in the 1750s has shaped the modern east-west route of travel all the way between Newcastle and the North Tyne and beyond. East of Newcastle, too, the line of the Wall has determined the modern road layout. Although much of the eastern part of the Wall is invisible beneath the streets and buildings of a modern conurbation, thanks to the WallQuest project local people are now more aware of the Wall beneath their feet, and we have a better knowledge and understanding of Hadrian’s Wall on Tyneside.

Hadrian’s Wall on Tyneside rediscovered - some of the WallQuest volunteers who have made it possible to find out so much more

81 GUIDE TO FURTHER READING

Paul Bidwell, Hadrian’s Wall Richard Hingley, Hadrian’s Wall: a 1989–1999: a summary of recent Life (Oxford, 2012) excavations and research Nick Hodgson (ed), Hadrian’s Wall (Carlisle, 1999) 1999–2009: a summary of recent David Breeze, Handbook to the excavation and research Roman Wall (14th edn, Society (Kendal, 2009) of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Nick Hodgson, Hadrian’s Wall: Tyne, 2006) Archaeology and History at David Breeze and Brian Dobson, the Limit of Rome’s Empire Hadrian’s Wall (4th edn, London, (Marlborough, 2017) 2000) An Archaeological Map of Hadrian’s Anthony Burton, Hadrian’s Wall Wall (English Heritage, 2010, Path: National Trail Guide (London, revised ed. 2014) 2007, revised ed. 2016) David Heslop, ‘The Roman Imperial Frontier’, in Graves, C.P. and Heslop, D., Newcastle upon Tyne, The Eye of the North: An Archaeological Assessment (Oxford, 2013), 31-64

Left: The excavated remains of Hadrian’s Wall west of the fort at Wallsend, now permanently displayed

Right: Inscribed altar recording the elevation of the Benwell commanding officer Tineius Longus to the rank of senator 82 SOME USEFUL WEBSITES

www.segedunumromanfort.org.uk/about-us/friends www.arbeiasociety.org.uk www.newcastle-antiquaries.org.uk

Above: Intaglio (finger ring gem) from Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields, depicting Jupiter enthroned

Left: Volunteers excavate the baths at Wallsend

83 This book has been made possible by research carried out by local residents as part of the community archaeology project, WallQuest: Hadrian’s Wall and its legacy on Tyneside, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Make Your Mark, the Esmé Fairbairn Foundation, HADRIAN’S WALL ON TYNESIDE the Sir James Knott Trust, the Banks Community fund, the Earthwatch Institute, and the R.W. Mann Trust. The permanent display of Hadrian’s Wall and the Roman baths at Wallsend have been supported by Arts Council England using public funding.

R.W. MANN TYNE & WEAR ARCHIVES MUSEUMS I WALLQUEST

1,900 years ago the legions of Rome built the great barrier of Hadrian’s Wall from sea to sea. Although much of the eastern end of the Wall in Tyneside is now buried beneath the modern cityscape, research and excavation in the twenty-first century has given us a dramatic new view of the Wall in this area, and of the lives of the people who lived in its ISBN 0905974964 forts and civilian settlements over a period of three hundred years. This book explains how archaeologists and local people working together have made these discoveries, and offers a guide to where visible Roman remains and finds can be seen. Many illustrations and reconstruction images help bring Hadrian’s Wall on Tyneside back to life.