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The big facts page

157 Hadrian’s Wall facts, all checked

Every fact on this site in one place, each linked to its source. Our build checks each one against the source text; see the sources page. Things that can change carry the date we checked them, and where sources disagree you’ll find both.

Jump to: The story | The Wall | The forts | Army and people | Walking and visiting (some dated) | Where sources differ

The story

  1. 1 Hadrian’s Wall was built on the orders of the emperor Hadrian after his visit to Britain in AD 122. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  2. 2 Hadrian’s biographer recorded that he ordered his army to “build a wall, 80 miles long, to separate the Romans from the barbarians”. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  3. 3 English Heritage says Hadrian wanted to bring order to the frontier and reduce raids by Caledonian tribes to the north; the Wall let the Romans control movement across the border. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  4. 4 Hadrian was born in Rome in AD 76 and became emperor in AD 117, succeeding Trajan. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  5. 5 Hadrian was emperor from AD 117 until AD 138. His family was Spanish, and he spent his reign travelling his empire. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
  6. 6 The Roman conquest of Britain began in AD 43. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  7. 7 Before the Wall, the Romans had a road called the Stanegate between Corbridge and Carlisle, with forts along it. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  8. 8 Building probably began in AD 122 and took at least six years. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  9. 9 The Wall was built almost entirely by soldiers of Britain’s three legions: the Second (Caerleon), the Sixth (York) and the Twentieth (Chester). English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  10. 10 Each legion had architect-engineers, surveyors, masons, carpenters and glaziers. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  11. 11 The legions were helped by auxiliary soldiers and by the British fleet. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  12. 12 Inscriptions suggest Castle Nick (milecastle 39) was probably built by the Sixth Legion. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  13. 13 The Ilam pan, a 2nd-century souvenir of the Wall found in 2003, suggests the Romans may have called the frontier “vallum Aelii”, Aelius being Hadrian’s family name. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  14. 14 Hadrian died in AD 138. His successor Antoninus Pius moved the frontier north to the Forth–Clyde isthmus and built a new wall of turf, the Antonine Wall, which had a short life of about 20 years. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  15. 15 The Antonine Wall was begun in around AD 143 between the Firths of Forth and Clyde; it was abandoned, and Hadrian’s Wall reoccupied, in around AD 160. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  16. 16 UNESCO says the Antonine Wall, about 60 km long, was started by the emperor Antoninus Pius in AD 142. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Frontiers of the Roman Empire (list 430)
  17. 17 A major war took place shortly after AD 180, when tribes crossed the Wall and killed a general and his troops. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  18. 18 The latest coins found on the Wall were minted in AD 403–6. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  19. 19 For nearly 300 years the Wall was the north-west frontier of an empire that stretched to present-day Iraq and the Sahara. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  20. 20 In later centuries the Wall became a quarry for stone to build castles, churches, farms and houses, until conservation in the 18th and 19th centuries stopped it. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  21. 21 In about AD 675 Saxon builders took stone from the Roman bridge at Chesters for the church at Hexham. English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort
  22. 22 John Clayton (1792–1890) excavated at Chesters from 1843 and bought up stretches of the central Wall, saving them from stone robbers. English Heritage: Significance of Chesters Roman Fort
  23. 23 Hadrian’s Wall became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  24. 24 Since 2005 it has been part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site. North East Museums: Segedunum, the fort site (teacher notes)
  25. 25 UNESCO says the Roman frontier at its 2nd-century greatest extent stretched over 5,000 km, from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain to the Black Sea, the Red Sea and across North Africa. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Frontiers of the Roman Empire (list 430)
  26. 26 In 2022 English Heritage marked 1,900 years of Hadrian’s Wall. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs

The Wall

  1. 27 The Wall is 73 miles long, which is 80 Roman miles. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  2. 28 UNESCO gives its length as 118 km. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Frontiers of the Roman Empire (list 430)
  3. 29 It runs from Wallsend in Newcastle upon Tyne in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria in the west. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  4. 30 Roman fortifications carried on for about 25 miles down the Solway coast as part of the wider frontier, but not as part of the Wall. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  5. 31 At its tallest the Wall stood about 15 feet (4.6 metres) high. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  6. 32 It was planned to be 10 Roman feet (3 m) wide but was finished at 8 Roman feet (2.4 m) or less. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  7. 33 The turf sector was 20 Roman feet (6 m) wide. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  8. 34 As first planned, most of the Wall was stone, but the western 30-mile section was turf. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  9. 35 West of the River Irthing the Wall was at first built of turf; there the milecastles were turf and timber, while the turrets were stone. English Heritage: History of Birdoswald Roman Fort
  10. 36 The first plan was a wall fronted by a wide, deep ditch, with a guarded gate (milecastle) every mile and two turrets in between. English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall
  11. 37 That gave an observation point every third of a mile. English Heritage: Local Learning, Hadrian’s Wall (teaching resources)
  12. 38 Before the work was finished, 14 new forts were added, together with an earthwork to the south called the Vallum. English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall
  13. 39 English Heritage counts 16 forts, 80 milecastles and 156 turrets. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  14. 40 A milecastle probably held about eight soldiers in a single barrack block, though some had two buildings and could hold more. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  15. 41 Archaeologists number the milecastles and turrets from east to west: milecastle 0 is at Wallsend and milecastle 80 at Bowness-on-Solway. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  16. 42 Turrets were lookout points for small groups of soldiers from the milecastles. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs
  17. 43 The Vallum was a central ditch between two mounds, 120 Roman feet (about 35 m) wide. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  18. 44 The forts were set at a basic spacing of 7⅓ miles, astride the Wall wherever possible. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  19. 45 The ditch was dug in front of the Wall except where there were natural crags. English Heritage: Local Learning, Hadrian’s Wall (teaching resources)
  20. 46 Alongside the Wall there were an earthwork (the Vallum), a ditch, two major roads and many forts, milecastles and turrets. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
  21. 47 Part or all of nine milecastles and one Cumbrian coast milefortlet can still be seen, and sixteen turrets. English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall
  22. 48 The Wall itself survives mainly in the central sector, from Black Carts turret (29a) to Banks East turret (52a). English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall
  23. 49 English Heritage lists the forts you can still see, west to east: Maryport, Birdoswald, Carvoran, Great Chesters, Vindolanda, Housesteads, Carrawburgh, Chesters, Newcastle, Wallsend and South Shields (Maryport and Carrawburgh as earthworks only). English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall
  24. 50 Milecastles you can see: Harrows Scar (49), Poltross Burn (48), Cawfields (42), Castle Nick (39), Housesteads (37), Sewingshields (35), Shield-on-the-Wall (33), Tower Tye (29) and Westgate Road (4), plus milefortlet 20 (Swarthy Hill) on the Cumbrian coast. English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall
  25. 51 Turrets you can see: Banks East (52a), Piper Sike and Leahill (51a, 51b), Birdoswald West (49b), Willowford East and West (48a, 48b), Walltown (45a), Mucklebank (44b), Caw Gap (41a), Housesteads (36b), Sewingshields Crag (35a), Grindon West (34a), Coesike (33b), Black Carts (29a), Brunton (26b) and Denton (7b). English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall
  26. 52 The Vallum earthwork was built to the south of the Wall, and the Wall was fronted by a wide, deep ditch. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  27. 53 Camp followers seem not to have been allowed to settle between the Wall and the Vallum in the early years. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  28. 54 At Chesters, a large road bridge was built in about AD 160 to carry the Military Way over the North Tyne. English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall
  29. 55 Most of the Wall is privately owned, by several hundred owners; English Heritage and the National Trust look after well-known sections. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs · checked 29 Oct 2026
  30. 56 English Heritage cares for twenty free-to-enter sites along the Wall. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs · checked 29 Oct 2026
  31. 57 The Brigantes of northern Britain became close allies of Rome; their queen Cartimandua helped the Romans against rebellious tribes. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories

The forts

  1. 58 Housesteads is the most complete example of a Roman fort in Britain. English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  2. 59 Housesteads covers 2.2 hectares and was built for an infantry regiment of 800 men (a milliary cohort). English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  3. 60 The first cohort of Tungrians, recruited around Tongres in modern Belgium, garrisoned Housesteads from the late 2nd to the 4th century. English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  4. 61 By AD 138 Housesteads was one of 15 forts, with a total garrison of nearly 10,000 men along the Wall. English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  5. 62 From the early 3rd century, extra units from Frisia (now north-east Holland) were at Housesteads. English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  6. 63 Housesteads has the best-preserved stone-built latrines of any Roman fort in Britain. English Heritage: Significance of Housesteads Roman Fort
  7. 64 The Knag Burn gateway at Housesteads is a unique surviving example of a gateway through Hadrian’s Wall. English Heritage: Significance of Housesteads Roman Fort
  8. 65 Inside, Housesteads had a grid plan: headquarters (principia), commanding officer’s house (praetorium), granaries (horrea), probably a hospital (valetudinarium) and at least 10 barrack blocks. English Heritage: Description of Housesteads Roman Fort
  9. 66 In the 16th century the antiquary William Camden avoided Housesteads for fear of the “ranke robbers thereabouts”. English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  10. 67 Housesteads was garrisoned by auxiliaries: infantry and cavalry raised from the peoples Rome had conquered. English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  11. 68 Turret 36b, built with the Wall before the fort, now lies inside Housesteads’ fort walls. English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  12. 69 At Birdoswald the Wall and turret 49a were partly demolished to make room for the fort, which was built astride the Wall. English Heritage: History of Birdoswald Roman Fort
  13. 70 Auxiliary cavalry were recruited for their skills on horseback; a cavalry unit from Spain was stationed at Chesters. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
  14. 71 Chesters, called Cilurnum by the Romans, was a cavalry fort built in about AD 124 for some 500 cavalrymen. English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort
  15. 72 Early new forts like Chesters straddled the Wall, half to the north and half to the south; a turret was demolished to make room. English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort
  16. 73 The first cavalry unit at Chesters would have needed 16 stable-barracks, each housing some 32 men and their horses. English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort
  17. 74 By AD 178–84 Chesters was held by the Second Asturians, a cavalry unit raised in northern Spain. English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort
  18. 75 The external baths at Chesters are the most complete set of Roman baths to be seen in Britain. English Heritage: Significance of Chesters Roman Fort
  19. 76 Chesters’ headquarters has a strongroom with its vaulted roof still intact. English Heritage: Description of Chesters Roman Fort
  20. 77 Chesters’ site museum opened in 1896 to house John Clayton’s collection. English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort
  21. 78 Birdoswald was garrisoned by an infantry cohort of over 800 men; its defences are the best preserved on the Wall. English Heritage: History of Birdoswald Roman Fort
  22. 79 From the 3rd century Birdoswald was held by the first cohort of Dacians, recruited from what is now Romania. English Heritage: History of Birdoswald Roman Fort
  23. 80 Dacian inscriptions at Birdoswald show their curved sword, the falx, with a palm frond. English Heritage: History of Birdoswald Roman Fort
  24. 81 Birdoswald was still lived in after Roman rule ended: timber halls were built on the site of the granaries. English Heritage: History of Birdoswald Roman Fort
  25. 82 Segedunum at Wallsend, the eastern end of the Wall, was built around AD 124. North East Museums: Segedunum, the fort site (teacher notes)
  26. 83 In about AD 200 Segedunum held a cohort of 480 infantry and 120 cavalry. North East Museums: Segedunum, the fort site (teacher notes)
  27. 84 Segedunum’s museum says it is the only place in the Western Roman Empire where a complete fort ground plan can be seen. North East Museums: Segedunum, the fort site (teacher notes)
  28. 85 Vindolanda, just south of the Wall, was first built in timber in about AD 85, almost 40 years before the Wall. The Vindolanda Trust: Why is Vindolanda to the south of Hadrian’s Wall?
  29. 86 There were at least 9 forts at Vindolanda: each new garrison knocked down the old fort and built a new one. The Vindolanda Trust: Fact file, Vindolanda
  30. 87 Vindolanda means “white field” or “white lawn”. The Vindolanda Trust: Fact file, Vindolanda
  31. 88 Vindolanda held 500 men when the fort was smaller and up to 1,000 when it was bigger. The Vindolanda Trust: Fact file, Vindolanda
  32. 89 Arbeia at South Shields was held by the Fifth Cohort of Gauls and by a unit of Boatmen from the Tigris. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)

Army and people

  1. 90 Legionaries were Roman citizens; auxiliaries were not, and were recruited from peoples Rome had conquered. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  2. 91 An auxiliary could become a Roman citizen after years of loyal service. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  3. 92 Wherever they came from, soldiers had to learn Latin, the language of the army. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  4. 93 Most soldiers stayed in the army for around 20 years. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  5. 94 Soldiers trained in full armour with their weapons for around 2 hours a day, and also ran. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  6. 95 A century was 80 men, six centuries made a cohort (about 480), and ten cohorts a legion: about 4,800, nearer 5,000 with clerks, doctors and craftsmen. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  7. 96 A cavalry troop of 30 men was commanded by a decurion. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  8. 97 Mainly built by legionaries, the Wall was manned by auxiliaries, in regiments nominally 500 or 1,000 strong. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  9. 98 At Arbeia a barrack held 40 soldiers and a centurion; there were two small rooms for every eight soldiers. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  10. 99 A barrack apartment was called a contubernium: one room for cooking, eating and kit, the other for sleeping. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  11. 100 Rations included bread, beef, olive oil, wine and grain to bake bread. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  12. 101 There was no toilet in the barrack; soldiers probably used moss as toilet paper. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  13. 102 All Roman soldiers wore cloaks and boots or sandals with iron studs on the sole. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  14. 103 Auxiliaries carried oval shields; legionaries had curved rectangular ones. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  15. 104 Legionaries used a short sword called a gladius and a large shield. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
  16. 105 Arbeia’s museum says centurions were at first in charge of 100 men, but this is thought to have dropped to about 80 quite quickly. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  17. 106 Brave soldiers could be rewarded with a wreath of laurel or oak leaves called a corona. North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page)
  18. 107 According to the Vindolanda tablets, locally brewed beer, not wine, was the soldiers’ drink of choice. English Heritage: Romans, Daily Life
  19. 108 One Vindolanda tablet has a junior officer complaining: “My fellow soldiers have no beer – please order some to be sent”. British Museum: The Vindolanda tablets
  20. 109 Soldiers and civilians came to the Wall from as far away as modern Syria, Romania and North Africa. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
  21. 110 Soldiers at Vindolanda included Tungrians (Belgium), Batavians (Netherlands), Vardullian cavalry (northern Spain) and Nervians and Gauls (France). The Vindolanda Trust: Fact file, Vindolanda
  22. 111 Ordinary soldiers could not legally marry until AD 197, though many married unofficially before that. English Heritage blog: The Role of Women on Hadrian’s Wall (2016)
  23. 112 Hundreds, if not thousands, of women lived on and around the Wall in the Roman period. English Heritage blog: The Role of Women on Hadrian’s Wall (2016)
  24. 113 Many civilians lived in and around the forts, including veterans, traders, craftspeople and soldiers’ families. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
  25. 114 Regina, from Colchester, was freed and married by Barathes, a soldier from Palmyra, who put up a fine memorial to her. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
  26. 115 At Birdoswald, dogs may have kept rats and mice away from the grain stores. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
  27. 116 A gold ring found at Corbridge reads “Aemilia, long life to you”. English Heritage blog: The Role of Women on Hadrian’s Wall (2016)
  28. 117 A tombstone at Corbridge remembers a little girl, Ertola, shown playing with her ball. English Heritage blog: The Role of Women on Hadrian’s Wall (2016)
  29. 118 Most Vindolanda writing tablets date to around AD 100; they are thin slices of wood about postcard size, written in ink. British Museum: The Vindolanda tablets
  30. 119 The tablets were first found in March 1973. British Museum: The Vindolanda tablets
  31. 120 Claudia Severa’s birthday invitation to Sulpicia Lepidina, around AD 100, is the earliest example of a woman’s handwriting from anywhere in the Roman Empire. British Museum: The Vindolanda tablets
  32. 121 A strength report of about AD 90 lists 752 men of the First Cohort of Tungrians at Vindolanda; only 265 were fit for active service. British Museum: The Vindolanda tablets
  33. 122 One tablet calls the local people “wretched Britons”. British Museum: The Vindolanda tablets
  34. 123 The British Museum estimates Britain in AD 100 had around 30,000 auxiliaries and about 15,000 legionaries. British Museum: The Vindolanda tablets

Walking and visiting (some dated)

  1. 124 The Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail is 84 miles (135 km) long, coast to coast. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information
  2. 125 National Trails suggests experienced walkers allow 6 or 7 days for the whole Trail. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information · checked 29 Oct 2026
  3. 126 Northumberland National Park says it takes approximately 6–8 days. Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path · checked 29 Oct 2026
  4. 127 The Trail opened in May 2003. Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path
  5. 128 Its highest point is Windshield Crags, 345 m (1,131 ft) above sea level. Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path
  6. 129 The 23-mile (37 km) stretch between Chollerford and Birdoswald is a switchback of short climbs and descents. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information
  7. 130 Most of the path is natural grass; only the Tyneside section is tarmac. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information
  8. 131 The route is waymarked with the National Trail acorn symbol. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information
  9. 132 National Trails recommends walking between May and October, when the ground is normally dry and damage to the buried archaeology is less likely. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information · checked 29 Oct 2026
  10. 133 GOV.UK says the Trail is open all year, and for conservation reasons recommends visiting between Easter and October. GOV.UK (Natural England): Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail · checked 29 Oct 2026
  11. 134 You can walk either way: east to west is the direction the Wall was built; west to east is recommended for kinder weather. GOV.UK (Natural England): Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail
  12. 135 The official guidebook describes the route from east to west. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information
  13. 136 Between Easter and 31 October you can collect 7 stamps in a Trail passport, then buy a completion badge and certificate. Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path · checked 29 Oct 2026
  14. 137 The 7 passport stamps are at Bowness-on-Solway, Carlisle, Birdoswald, Housesteads, Chesters, the Robin Hood Inn and Segedunum. Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path · checked 29 Oct 2026
  15. 138 About 10,000 people walk the whole Trail each year. Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path · checked 29 Oct 2026
  16. 139 The Trail is part of the European long-distance path E2. Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path
  17. 140 The curlew, emblem of Northumberland National Park, can be seen along the Trail. Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path
  18. 141 GOV.UK splits the Trail into six example sections, from Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall (15 miles) through to Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway (14.75 miles). GOV.UK (Natural England): Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail
  19. 142 Parts of the Solway coast can flood at high tide, so GOV.UK says to check tide times before setting off. GOV.UK (Natural England): Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail
  20. 143 The Ordnance Survey Explorer maps for the Trail are 314, 315, 316 and OL43. GOV.UK (Natural England): Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail
  21. 144 The World Heritage Site’s visitor code, Every Footstep Counts, asks you not to walk on the Wall itself, to follow signed paths, walk side by side, avoid worn patches, keep gates closed, control your dog and take litter home. Hadrian’s Wall Country: Every Footstep Counts
  22. 145 English Heritage says the AD122 bus runs between Hexham and Walltown, stopping at sites including Chesters and Housesteads. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs · checked 29 Oct 2026
  23. 146 There is normally no right to wild camp along the Trail; ask the landowner’s permission. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information
  24. 147 Mobile signal is weakest in the high central section. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information · checked 29 Oct 2026
  25. 148 Take a map or guidebook, good footwear, waterproofs and warm layers, plenty of water and a fully charged phone. National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information
  26. 149 English Heritage says the Wall is generally not wheelchair-accessible, but Chesters and Birdoswald have flatter, more accessible areas. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs · checked 29 Oct 2026

Where sources differ

  1. 150 English Heritage’s teaching page says the 30-mile turf section was in the east. English Heritage: Local Learning, Hadrian’s Wall (teaching resources)
  2. 151 Chesters’ history says the decision was taken within two years to add 15 forts to the line. English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort
  3. 152 Housesteads’ history says it is often thought the Wall was abandoned when the Antonine Wall was built, but excavations there found no evidence for this. English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort
  4. 153 Birdoswald was certainly not given up in the Antonine period (about AD 142–60), but may have had a reduced caretaker garrison. English Heritage: History of Birdoswald Roman Fort
  5. 154 English Heritage’s description puts the Housesteads latrines in the south-west corner of the fort. English Heritage: Description of Housesteads Roman Fort
  6. 155 English Heritage’s significance page puts them in the south-east angle. English Heritage: Significance of Housesteads Roman Fort
  7. 156 English Heritage’s main history says Antoninus Pius abandoned Hadrian’s Wall when he moved the frontier north. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
  8. 157 English Heritage describes a centurion commanding a century of about 100 legionaries. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories