Photos of the Roman Hadrian’s Wall & Housesteads Fort

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Photos of the Roman Hadrian’s Wall & Housesteads Fort set in the wild Landscape of Northumberland England. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams. (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Roman Hadrian’s Wall & Housesteads Fort

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Photos of the spectacular Hadrians Wall & Housesteads Roman Fort Northumberland, England.

Hadrian’s Wall & Housesteads Fort

Hadrian’s Wall, in latin Vallum Aelium, runs west to east across some of England’s most dramatic countryside in Northumberland. Hadrian’s Wall was built by the Romans in 122 AD. It runs from the North Sea, along the banks of the Tyne then west to the Solway Firth on the Irish Sea, a distance of 117.5 km (73.0 miles). The wall took 6 years to complete.

Hadrian’s Wall Uses

Emperor Hadrian realised that the Roman Empire had grown big enough and needed protective walls around its boundaries.

It is unclear if Hadrian’s wall was a defensive wall or if it was a way of collecting taxes from goods moving from Scotland south into England. Either way the wall represents an incredible engineering feat.

The design of Hadrian’s Wall & Housesteads

On the north side of the wall is a ditch, above which is built the wall 5 to 6 metres (16 to 20 feet) high and 3 metres (9.8 feet) wide. The wall was wide enough to use as a military way. Every mile along the wall is a milecastle with two turrets which were permanently garrisoned. Every five miles is a fort which housed a garrison of infantry and cavalry. There were between 14 to 17 garrison forts along the length of Hadrian’s Wall .

Housesteads Roman Fort

Housesteads, in Latin Vercovicium, is a fort situated roughly half way along Hadrian’s Wall. It was built in about 124 AD. Housesteads ruins show the remains of buildings that would have housed a large garrison.

The remains of Housesteads is situated along the most dramatic section of Hadrian’s Wall where it is built along the bluff line of steeply undulating Hills. From this section of the wall the dramatic scenery of Northumberland runs in every direction.

The buildings of Housesteads Fort

The outline of granaries can be seen. Inside these lines of brick pillars have survived. These supported a raised to floors to allow for underfloor heating. Housesteads Fort also has one of best preserved latrines of Roman Britain.

The fort was garrisoned by a double sized auxiliary cohort and legionnaires from the Legio II Augusta.

The wall remained garrisoned until 409AD when the Romans withdrew and left England.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Hadrian’s Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage site because it is a striking example of the organisation of a military zone. It also illustrates the defensive techniques and geopolitical strategies of Ancient Rome.