Hadrian’s Wall Guide to the Visible Remains
Park in the Cawfields Car Park, cross the road and west over the stone style and head west up the slope, you can look back to the Wall heading east along the Windsill.
Great Chesters Fort / Aesica
It is 6 miles from Housesteads to the East and 3 miles from Carvoran to the West. It is smaller than most Wall forts at 3 acres. A large farm has been built in the north east corner. It measures 355ft by 419 ft. and like Housesteads faces east and is behind the wall. It is probably an afterthought as it was built after 128 AD. It was built on the site of Milecastle 43, which had to be demolished. A road leading to the Stanegate enters the fort at the Southgate.
The first garrison was the 6th Cohort of Nervii, originally from Belgium, an infantry regiment. In 1894 during excavations, a hoard of jewellery was found, dating from about 70 AD to the third century and considered masterpieces of Celtic art.
The Westgate is the only gate visible and one of the gates was soon blocked eventually, both were blocked. The vault is all that remains of the Headquarters building. Although it cannot be seen from the site, the fort has an aqueduct extending 8 miles to the north winding along the contours of the hills
Milecastle 44
Pass through the fort along the path along the ridge. The milecastle is a Roman mile (0.93 mi) west of the Great Chesters Fort and survives as a small number of visible stones and a turf-covered bank. The bank measures 11 ft. wide and 3.0 ft. high. It is a long-axis type measuring 67 ft. north-south by 56 ft.) east-west internally. An excavation was made by trenching around the inner face, but no published report is available. The rampart of the road leading to the milecastle from the Military Way is visible.
Turrets 44 A & B
Turret 44a is further along the ridge and can be identified as a small mound. At the end of the ridge is Turret 44b, which is a well preserved structure. With walls up to 6ft high, overlooking a large gap in the ridge.
There is a steep descent to King Arthur’s Well and then the climb up Walltown Crags. The wall follows the cliff edge with outstanding views towards Scotland
Milecastle 45
A splendid length of Wall along the edge of the cliffs, it would appear that it was a special milecastle with large facing stones, which have all been removed. All that can be said is that it was a long axis milecastle. The picture in the website heading was taken from Walltown Crags.
Turret 45 A
It was possibly built as a free standing tower about 5 years before the Wall to provide a lookout post for the Stanegate. It measures 19ft by 18 ft and is 100 yds out of position to get a better view and is included in the Wall line.
The Wall continues for 300yds, until the quarry begins, which destroyed Turret 45 B, which before the quarry was quite well preserved.
Head down the hill into the quarry past the pond, cafe and car park onto the road, turn left into the Roman Army Museum. This is must see, not covered in this guide, but you can visit the website..
Carvoran Roman Fort
a Roman Fort called Magna
As you cannot go through the gate, as the site is being excavated, but you see on the left raised ground, which are remains of the northwest wall. It is about 3 miles west of Great Chesters and 3 miles east of Birdoswald. The fort is interesting in spite of the fact there is not much to see. It is at the junction of the Stanegate (the earlier road which heads to Carlisle south of the River Irthing), the Maiden Way (the road heading south to Kirby Thore, between Appleby and Penrith) and Hadrian’s Wall. It is usual in that it is only 200 yds south of the Wall. SEE THE Guide
What you can see is a turf platform surrounded by a ditch with some exposed masonry at the North West corner tower. It measures 435ft by 360ft just under 4 acres. Next to nothing is known of the interior, except that the bathhouse was inside the fort.A significant amount of stone has been extracted for the site.
The first fort dates from the late 1st century although there is no dating evidence. There are indications that the fort was possibly reduced in size when incorporated into the Wall defences. The stone outer wall was built in 136/7AD by a cohort of Hamians, who garrisoned the fort at that time. Usually, they were Syrian Archers. As a result of a geophysical survey undertaken in 2000, it was found that the fort faced south and there is a very extension civilian settlement to the west, south, and east. There has been no extensive excavation. The site iis being excavated as of 2023. as the ground, similar to Vindolanda is drying out, which will destroy the artefacts under the fort.
Milecastle 46 & 47
Back through the museum grounds and onto the road turning left back to the Wall path. Enter the field 200yds on the left are slight mounds, the remains of Milecastle 26, which is being excavated in 2023.
On down the hill
Down into the small valley crossing the River Tipait and the 12th century Thirlwall Castle is on the right. This is largely built of stone from the Wall. Follow the path and cross the Gilsland road into the field, the Vallum is visible on the left. After about a quarter of a mile is Milecastle 47, it measures 69 ft by 60 ft, It is difficult to identify.
On to Gilsland follow the sign to Polross Burn down into a steep valley over the burn and climb up to the milecastle.
milecastle 48
This is one of the most significant Milecastles on the Wall, both in respect of its state preservation and the information it has provided. It has a broad gauge wall (9.5ft. thick) built of large masonry and is 70ft by 61ft. Inside were 2 large stone barracks.
The broad walls indicate that the Milecastle was built well ahead of the wall and before the decision to narrow the wall. In addition, there are three steps shown in the middle picture above, which indicate that the steps led to a walkway 12ft. from the floor. This is the only indication anywhere that the walls of the Milecastle were 12ft. high and the wall itself was possibly also 12 ft. high. It is assumed though there is no evidence that there was a parapet and a walk along the top of the milecastle and possibly the Wall, which would therefore be15 ft high.
Cross the railway, over the field to the road by the school, cross the road, when a bridge over a stream is replaced. For now return through the village of Gilsland, heading south after the houses on your right to see the beginning of one longest continuous wall remains.
Turrets 48a & 48b
Turret 48a is 12ft by 13ft and recessed into the Wall so that the north wall is two and a half feet thick. The floor was originally clay and then was replaced with a flag floor 8 inches above it. Later still a 3rd floor was added 2ft above the first flag floor. What is not explained is how you got through the door.
Turret 48b is a similar size to T48a and is again recessed into the wall. This time there were 4 floors 3 of which were flagged.
Along the Wall passed Willowford then descend into the Irthing. Valley. At the end of the wall in the picture is the bridge abutment in a field, where the river was 1900 years ago.
The last of the three bridges was built on the site 70 ft east of the current course of the river Irthing.
The full description of Willowford Bridge is covered in the Birdoswald Guide
Extract from a House of Commons Debate 1958
“It is reliably reported that on the section near Birdoswald four workmen are employed with only occasional supervision. They dismantle the Wall, nine feet at a time, stacking the square masonry and rubble filling and consolidating the foundations. The Roman mortar, which varied in colour from one age to the next and therefore shows repairs and alterations. Which is a matter of importance to arachnologists— is destroyed without record? Far worse, the work emerging from the hands of these excellent workmen is not Hadrian’s Wall at all. It is a copy—and one which has lost all the gifts of time.”
Here is not the only place this has happened. 7% of the wall is visible, of which 2% is a nineteenth century reconstruction, generally from Roman materials to hand. Of the remaining 5% it is not known how must of the wall has been rebuilt. You will find none of this in any other guide.
Milecastle 49
This is a representation of how it looked in about 140AD with the first bridge at Willowford. Since the wall was built the river has moved nearly 80 yds further west and the slope to the bridge is far steeper. As originally built the wall would have been built of turf with probably a wooden palisade and Milecastle would have used the same materials. The change occurred from the west bank of the River Irthing. The visible Milecastle is 75ft by 65ft and was replaced after only about 10 years the original smaller turf Milecastle.
The Milecastle had been converted at one stage to a farm house.
This is one of the few places where about 2 miles of Turf wall is moved with the building of the stone wall. The turf wall joined the fort just north of the Eastgate of the fort, while the stone wall aligned with the north wall of Birdoswald Roman Fort.