Hadrians Wall - Northern England (EH)
Hadrian's Wall stretches 73 miles (80 Roman miles) from coast to coast across Northern England from the Solway to the Tyne, it today spans nearly 2,000 years of history.
Hadrians Wall at Birdoswold Roman Fort
The Wall was built by order of the Emperor Hadrian who came to Britain in AD122. His purpose was to mark the boundary of the Roman Empire and divide the 'civilised' world from the tribes beyond or, as Hadrian's biographer put it, 'to separate the Romans from the Barbarians'. At some points it is as stark and inspiring as it would have been in Hadrian's time. Elsewhere it has mellowed into the landscape or is tucked into hidden corners of the towns and cities which run its length.
Hadrian's Wall is, of course, much more than a wall. Small forts a mile apart ('milecastles'), temples and turrets appear all along its line and museums, reconstructions and visitors centres bring the frontier to life.
Hadrians Wall. Some locations have links to detailed pages
Fortified lines once marked many of the Roman Empire's boundaries along the Rhine, the Danube and in the Middle East. These, along with Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall in Britain were the outposts of the empire. Of them all, Hadrian's Wall, now a World Heritage Site, is by far the best-preserved and being there can still evoke a sense of standing on the edge of the world.
Emperor Hadrian
The above statue was erected by Brampton Chamber of Trade for the people of Brampton, Cumbria, in April 1999 in recognition of Emperor Hadrian for the building of the Roman Wall A.D. 122 -128.