Wander Wall
Hadrian’s Wall: Why the World Heritage Site is so much more than a pile of old Roman stones.
As walls go, Hadrian knew his stuff. Well, I’m sure as Emperor he didn’t build it himself, he’s bound to have delegated the job to a few thousand Romans. But I’d be very much surprised if anything we build today will still stand in over 1900 years' time.
Emperor Hadrian built his wall across the northern part of England from 122 AD. It stretched from Bowness of Solway in the west for 73 miles to Wallsend (heavens knows who thought up that name for a place!) on the River Tyne near Newcastle on the east coast. It’s the narrowest point between the east and west coasts of England. Hadrian was clearly a sensible chap.
It’s thought the wall was built to protect the northern edge of the Roman Empire from those pesky barbarians in the north (essentially, the Scots — although on the east coast, England stretches much further north, but over the centuries that bit of land has switched back and forth a bit anyway, after several disagreements).
The wall was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987 and is a popular tourist destination. It’s…
