Housesteads  10/9/05

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First built between 120 and 125 A.D., the Housesteads Vercovicium is the best preserved Roman fort in Northern Europe.
The visitors center looks like a rest stop but a quarter mile hike out the back door reveals the remnants of another world.
Housesteads was one of twelve outposts built along Hadrians Wall to protect Roman Britain from the indigenous barbarians.
Housesteads occupies 4.25 acres and has been found to be home for up to a thousand soldiers at a time.
For the majority of time over the centuries it was in use, Housesteads was garrisoned by auxiliary units, but historians believe it to be built by a core legion because of the quality of workmanship.
As we saw in Corbridge, a similarly designed granary to feed the legion.
Site of turret 36b.  Hadrians Wall was originally designed without adjacent forts, but had milecastles and turrets.  Turret 36b was the precursor to the Vercovicium.
Hadrians Wall.  Here the wall continues from the Vercovicium and off to the right.
Site of one of the gates.
The hike back to the car is definitely easier than the hike up. This is all grazing land and you have to go through a couple gates that separate the different farms.  The parking lot is on the other side of the wide patch of trees.


 

U.S. to Glasgow to Edinburgh          Edinburgh

Alnwick       Edlington       Corbridge       Roman Vindolanda

Housesteads       Croxteth Hall/Liverpool       Langholm - "The Muckle Toon"

Edinburgh Castle       Sterling to Callendar & The Trussochs to Glasgow