Hadrian's Wall: The Edge of Empire

In 122 AD, the Emperor Hadrian visited Britain. Looking north at the rugged, untamed lands of the Caledonians, he decided that the expansion of Rome must end. He ordered a wall to be built, “to separate the Romans from the barbarians.”

It was a feat of engineering without parallel in the western world. Stretching 73 miles (80 Roman miles) from Wallsend on the River Tyne to Bowness-on-Solway in the west, it slashed across the neck of England.

The Structure

The wall was not just a fence; it was a machine of occupation.

• Milecastles: Small forts placed every Roman mile, allowing traffic through.
• Turrets: Two observation towers between every milecastle.
• The Vallum: A massive ditch running south of the wall to define the military zone.

At its peak, it was garrisoned by 10,000 auxiliary soldiers from across the empire - Syrians, Tungrians, Batavians - shivering on the windy crags of Northumberland.

Global Heritage

For three centuries, it was the final frontier. Today, it remains the most significant monument of Roman Britain. The stones of the wall have been pillaged to build farmhouses, churches, and castles (like Thirlwall), embedding the empire into the very DNA of the Northern landscape.

It reminds us that the North has always been a borderland, a place where cultures collide and history is written in stone.