Sources

Where the facts come from

Every factual claim on this site links to its source. This is the full list.

How we checked

Each fact was written alongside its source. Our build script stores the source text and, for every fact, checks that the key words and figures really appear in it. 157 of 157 checks passed when this site was last built (checked 29 Oct 2026). Where we couldn’t read a source, we left the claim out. We quote short phrases only, and never reproduce museum images.

Figures that change

Opening seasons, passport details, bus routes, ownership and walker numbers can change. Facts like these are marked “checked 29 Oct 2026”. Older material, such as a 2016 blog post, is named with its year.

What we leave out

This is a site about the Wall’s history and about visiting it. It isn’t a route guide and doesn’t give live path conditions or emergency advice: check with National Trails and the site you’re visiting. Where English Heritage’s own pages disagree with each other, we show both rather than choose silently.

English Heritage (14)

• English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall (18 facts)
• English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs (23 facts)
• English Heritage: Description of Hadrian’s Wall (8 facts)
• English Heritage: Local Learning, Hadrian’s Wall (teaching resources) (3 facts)
• English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories (10 facts)
• English Heritage: History of Housesteads Roman Fort (9 facts)
• English Heritage: Significance of Housesteads Roman Fort (3 facts)
• English Heritage: Description of Housesteads Roman Fort (2 facts)
• English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort (7 facts)
• English Heritage: Significance of Chesters Roman Fort (2 facts)
• English Heritage: Description of Chesters Roman Fort (1 fact)
• English Heritage: History of Birdoswald Roman Fort (7 facts)
• English Heritage: Romans, Daily Life (1 fact)
• English Heritage blog: The Role of Women on Hadrian’s Wall (2016) (4 facts)

The National Trail and walking (4)

• National Trails: Hadrian’s Wall Path, trail information (10 facts)
• GOV.UK (Natural England): Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail (5 facts)
• Northumberland National Park: 20 facts about the Hadrian’s Wall Path (8 facts)
• Hadrian’s Wall Country: Every Footstep Counts (1 fact)

Museums (5)

• British Museum: The Vindolanda tablets (7 facts)
• The Vindolanda Trust: Fact file, Vindolanda (4 facts)
• The Vindolanda Trust: Why is Vindolanda to the south of Hadrian’s Wall? (1 fact)
• North East Museums: Arbeia, the barracks (learning page) (16 facts)
• North East Museums: Segedunum, the fort site (teacher notes) (4 facts)

UNESCO (1)

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Frontiers of the Roman Empire (list 430) (3 facts)

When sources disagree

Where sources give different figures, we show all of them, with links, and say how we handle it.

Which end was built of turf?

• As first planned, most of the Wall was stone, but the western 30-mile section was turf. English Heritage: History of Hadrian’s Wall
• 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
• English Heritage’s teaching page says the 30-mile turf section was in the east. English Heritage: Local Learning, Hadrian’s Wall (teaching resources)

How we handle it: English Heritage’s main history and its Birdoswald history both put the turf section in the west, west of the River Irthing. One English Heritage teaching page says east. We follow the two histories, and our drawings show turf in the west.

How many forts?

• 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
• Chesters’ history says the decision was taken within two years to add 15 forts to the line. English Heritage: History of Chesters Roman Fort
• 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
• English Heritage counts 16 forts, 80 milecastles and 156 turrets. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall FAQs

How we handle it: English Heritage’s description says 14 forts were added; its Chesters history says 15; its Housesteads history says Housesteads was one of 15 by AD 138; its FAQ counts 16 forts on the Wall. Counts depend on the date and on which forts are included. We give each figure with its source rather than pick one.

Was the Wall abandoned when the Antonine Wall was built?

• 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
• 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
• 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

How we handle it: English Heritage’s main history says Antoninus Pius abandoned Hadrian’s Wall. Its Housesteads history says excavation there found no evidence of abandonment, and its Birdoswald history says that fort was certainly not given up, though it may have had a smaller caretaker garrison. We say the frontier moved north, and show all three views.

When was the Antonine Wall begun?

• 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
• 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)

How we handle it: English Heritage says around AD 143; UNESCO says AD 142. We give both.

Where are the Housesteads latrines?

• English Heritage’s description puts the Housesteads latrines in the south-west corner of the fort. English Heritage: Description of Housesteads Roman Fort
• English Heritage’s significance page puts them in the south-east angle. English Heritage: Significance of Housesteads Roman Fort

How we handle it: Two English Heritage pages about the same fort give different corners: south-west and south-east. We don’t place them on any drawing.

How long does the walk take?

• 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
• 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

How we handle it: National Trails says experienced walkers should allow 6 or 7 days; Northumberland National Park says about 6 to 8. Everyone walks at a different pace, so we quote both.

How many men did a centurion command?

• English Heritage describes a centurion commanding a century of about 100 legionaries. English Heritage: Hadrian’s Wall, History and Stories
• 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)
• 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)

How we handle it: English Heritage describes a century of about 100 legionaries. The Arbeia museum says centurions started with 100 men, but that this probably dropped to about 80, and counts a century as 80. We give both with their sources.

When is the best time to walk?

• 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
• 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

How we handle it: National Trails recommends May to October; GOV.UK says Easter to October. Both give the same reason: protecting the buried archaeology when the ground is wet. Both are dated in our facts list.