Sights in Hadrian's Wall
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Chesters Roman Fort & Museum
The best-preserved remains of a Roman cavalry fort in England are at Chesters, set among idyllic green woods and meadows near the village of Chollerford and originally constructed to house a unit of troops from Asturias in northern Spain. They include part of a bridge (beautifully constructed and best appreciated from the eastern bank) across the River North Tyne, four well-preserved gatehouses, an extraordinary bathhouse and an underfloor heating system. The museum has a large collection of Roman sculpture. Take bus 880 or 882 from Hexham (5.5 miles away); it is also on the route of Hadrian's Wall bus AD 122.
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Corbridge Roman Site & Museum
What's left of the Roman garrison town of Corstopitum lies about a half a mile west of Market Pl on Dere St, once the main road from York to Scotland. It is the oldest fortified site in the area, predating the wall itself by some 40 years, when it was used by troops launching retaliation raids into Scotland. Most of what you see here, though, dates from around AD 200, when the fort had developed into a civilian settlement and was the main base along the wall.
You get a sense of the domestic heart of the town from the visible remains, and the Corbridge Museum displays Roman sculpture and carvings, including the amazing 3rd-century Corbridge Lion.
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Hadrian's Wall
The official portal for the whole of Hadrian's Wall Country. An excellent, easily navigable site.
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Hexham Abbey
Dominating tiny Market Pl, Hexham's stately abbey is a marvellous example of Early English architecture. It cleverly escaped the Dissolution of 1537 by rebranding as Hexham's parish church, a role it still has today. The highlight is the 7th-century Saxon crypt, the only surviving element of St Wilifrid's Church, built with inscribed stones from Corstopitum in 674.
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Old Gaol
This strapping stone structure was completed in 1333 as England's first purpose-built prison; today its four floors tell the history of the jail in all its gruesome glory. The history of the Border Reivers – a group of clans who fought, kidnapped, blackmailed and killed each other in an effort to exercise control over a lawless tract of land along the Anglo-Scottish border throughout the 16th century – is also retold, along with tales of the punishments handed out in the prison.
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Segedunum
The last strong post of Hadrian's Wall was the fort of Segedunum, 6 miles east of Newcastle at Wallsend. Beneath the 35m-high tower, which you can climb for some terrific views, is an absorbing site that includes a reconstructed Roman bathhouse (with steaming pools and frescoes) and a fascinating museum that gives visitors a well-rounded picture of life during Roman times.
Segedeunum is in Wallsend, which is on the Metro line from Newcastle.
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