Milecastle 28

Coordinates: 55°01′45″N 2°09′10″W / 55.029086°N 2.152839°W

Milecastle 28

The site of Milecastle 28

B6318 Military Road at the site of Milecastle 28
Milecastle 28
 Milecastle 28 shown within Northumberland
OS grid reference NY90317054
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UK
England
Northumberland

Milecastle 28 (Walwick) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall in England. No remains are currently visible. Its location is immediately to the south of the B6318 Military Road in Walwick.

Construction

Milecastle 28 was probably a long-axis milecastle, though the gateway type cannot be identified. Such milecastles were thought to have been constructed by the legio VI Victrix who were based in Eboracum (York), or by the legio XX Valeria Victrix who were based in Deva Victrix (Chester).[1]

Excavations and investigations

Associated Turrets

Each milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two associated turret structures. These turrets were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of the Milecastle, and would probably have been manned by part of the milecastle's garrison. The turrets associated with Milecastle 28 are known as Turret 28A and Turret 28B.

Turret 28A

There are currently no visible remains of Turret 28A. It was first described in 1727 by Alexander Gordon in Iter Septentrionale, stating that it was

a little exploratory turret of hewn free-stone, a little more than 12 ft. in length, something less in breadth, and about five courses of stone in height

. It was relocated in 1920 about 300 yards (270 m) west of Walwick Hall.[4]

Location on Ordnance Survey 1:25 000 map: 55°01′52″N 2°09′38″W / 55.031035°N 2.160512°W

The site of Turret 28B

Turret 28B

Turret 28B is located the normal distance between Turret 28A and Milecastle 29. The site (identified by English heritage Field Investigation in 1965) is marked by slight traces of protruding stonework. The stones were barely discernible, but appeared to outline a structure measuring approximately 4.0 metres (13.1 ft) North-South, and 5.0 metres (16.4 ft) East-West.[5]

Location on Ordnance Survey 1:25 000 map: 55°01′58″N 2°10′04″W / 55.032660°N 2.167699°W

Monument Records

Monument Monument NumberEnglish Heritage Archive Number
Milecastle 2819104NY 97 SW 3
Turret 28A16677NY 87 SE 1
Turret 28B16680NY 87 SE 2

Public Access

The sites of Milecastle 28 and Turret 28A are not publicly accessible. The site of Turret 28B lies just off the Hadrian's Wall National Trail.

References

  1. David J Breeze and Brian Dobson (1976). Hadrian's Wall. Allen Lane. pp. 14–15. ISBN 0-14-027182-1.
  2. Bruce, J Collingwood (1957), Handbook to the Roman Wall (11th edition), Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, p. 101
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Milecastle 28". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 20 Feb 2012.
  4. "Turret 28A". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 21 Feb 2012.
  5. "Turret 28B". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 21 Feb 2012.

Bibliography