Hadrian’s Wall Guide to Visible Remains
The Portgate was the junction of Hadrian’s Wall and Dere Street(A68), built around the time the Wall was built. It is located north west of the roundabout, north of the Errington Arms.
Portgate was excavated in 1966 and built using large blocks of stone. It projected 10 to 12 feet north of the wall. With the building of the roundabout, the road was moved from the original line of Dere Street. The gate was either a square or rectangular structure. It is surprising that Halton Chesters Fort was not moved to this location, as it was a major junction. Take the Hadrian’s Wall Path to the left of the Errington Arms.
As with the previous section of the Wall, it was flattened in the 1750s to construct the Military Way and what is left of it is under the road. To compensate the Vallum is visible for in the fields to the south of the Wall and the Hadrian’s Wall path follows it for about 2 miles west from the Errington Arms.
The Vallum appears to be a means of defending the Wall from the rear. The decision to build it was taken when the forts were moved to the Wall or shortly after (about 125AD). Its construction meant that the gates in many of the milecastle were of little use, only at the forts generally were roads over the ditch, which was guarded by a fortified gate. When the frontier was moved back to Hadrian’s Wall about 160AD from the Antonine Wall, the Vallum appears to have fallen into disuse and some of it infilled. Possibly the threat from the rear was no longer there.
The Vallum varies from a few yards behind the Wall to over half a mile. Here it is generally 100 yds south of the Wall. The ditch north of the Wall is immediately north of the Wall. The broad wall of about 10 ft, which was demolished. The military Way was the road close to the Wall between the Wall and the Vallum, built in the 160s.
Milestones
They are difficult to find. The best way is to take a grid reference from the map and track it with a GPS device. All are long axis milecastle 50ft wide built by the 6th Legion. All have been excavated at least 3 times.
This reconstruction gives an idea of what they may have looked like.
Roman Quarry
Continue along the Wall path to St Oswald’s Farm and turn east along the Military Road for about 200 yds. and turn right to Codlaw Hill, after another 200yd you will see a pair of double gates on the right. Cross two fields and you will see the rocks on the Written Crag
I have walked by the crag a dozen times, without realising that it was a large sandstone quarry. It looks like a small valley. Carved into the rock was the inscription “the rock of Flavius Carantinus”. This has been cut out and now is at Chester Museum.(see above).
Returning to the Wall Path by continuing west to the tarmac road, through the gate and back to the Military Rd, which you cross to the Wall Path. Head west and after 200yds cross the Military Rd again on the Wall path into a field.
Planetree
We find a length of Wall, which is 10ft wide at the eastern end and 8 ft. wide at the western end, as high as 5ft, not very remarkable, EXCEPT this is where the Wall Project changed. The first twenty miles from Newcastle had a Wall wide 10ft and about 3 years after it began, it was reduced to 8ft or less here at Planetrees in about 125AD. The foundation of the Wall had already been built and extended as far as the east banks of the River Itching
There is nothing in the records, but the early Roman Wall was likely subject to attack from the North, As a result, a decision was made to move the frontier forts to the Wall.
It is likely that the Narrow Wall was a reaction to this
From Planetrees continue on the Wall Path, in about 300 yds, you join a tarmac road to Wall.