Hadrian’s Wall: Milecastles, Turrets and the Curtain

Edited by Derek A. Welsby Edited by Nick Hodgson

Book cover: Hadrian’s Wall: Milecastles, Turrets and the Curtain

Extent: 178 pages

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing

Subjects: German Studies

Series: Archaeopress Roman Archaeology

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(November 2025)

ISBN: 9781805831457

7.99 x 10.87 inches

Price: $63.00

In stock

Four detailed studies reassess the design and form of Hadrian’s Wall, its milecastles and turrets. Drawing on the archaeological record, the contributors explore how the Wall’s structure and superstructures shaped its purpose and meaning within the Roman frontier system.


This book contains four substantial studies scrutinising aspects of the evidence for the design and form of the curtain, milecastles and turrets of Hadrian’s Wall as preserved in the primary archaeological record. Together they constitute a fresh assessment of the original appearance of the Wall and its structures, a matter of long-running controversy since nowhere does any part of the Wall survive to full height. The nature of the top of the curtain, and the form of superstructures over milecastle gateways, are not simply structural details of merely academic interest: the contributors show that both have a profound impact on how we interpret the function of the linear barrier both in its initial conception and as used over three centuries by the Roman army.

List of Figures
List of Tables

 

Introduction – Derek A. Welsby and Nick Hodgson

Laying out the ground plans of turrets and milecastles on Hadrian’s Wall – Derek A. Welsby
Introduction
Turrets
Milecastles
Discussion
Conclusion
Acknowledgements

Bibliography

 

Did Hadrian’s Wall have a wall walk? – Paul Bidwell
Introduction
The width of the Wall
Walls blocking turret recesses
The line of the later Stone Wall in relation to the stone turrets originally built as part of the Turf Wall Chamfered stones from a string course
The bridges on the line of the Wall
A crenellated parapet
Weaponry and use of the Wall-walk as a fighting-platform
Surveillance, patrols and defence
The Antonine Wall
Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Bibliography

The stones from a chamfered string course on Hadrian’s Wall and their implications for the appearance of the Wall-top – Nick Hodgson
Introduction
The chamfered string course stones
The chamfered string course and the wider question of parapet and wall-walk
The wall-walk as a fighting platform or a sentry walk
Acknowledgements
Appendix 1: Published records of chamfered string course stones from Hadrian’s Wall
Appendix 2: The Berm Obstacles
Bibliography

 

Milecastle gate towers: present or absent? – Derek A. Welsby
Introduction
Discussion
The presence or absence of towers over milecastle gateways
Tower or no tower?
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Appendix 1. Inventory of milecastle gates where there is relevant data for use in this study
Appendix 2. Measurements of the visible stonework in milecastle and fort gates along Hadrian’s Wall
Bibliography

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List of Figures
List of Tables

 

Introduction – Derek A. Welsby and Nick Hodgson

Laying out the ground plans of turrets and milecastles on Hadrian’s Wall – Derek A. Welsby
Introduction
Turrets
Milecastles
Discussion
Conclusion
Acknowledgements

Bibliography

 

Did Hadrian’s Wall have a wall walk? – Paul Bidwell
Introduction
The width of the Wall
Walls blocking turret recesses
The line of the later Stone Wall in relation to the stone turrets originally built as part of the Turf Wall Chamfered stones from a string course
The bridges on the line of the Wall
A crenellated parapet
Weaponry and use of the Wall-walk as a fighting-platform
Surveillance, patrols and defence
The Antonine Wall
Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Bibliography

The stones from a chamfered string course on Hadrian’s Wall and their implications for the appearance of the Wall-top – Nick Hodgson
Introduction
The chamfered string course stones
The chamfered string course and the wider question of parapet and wall-walk
The wall-walk as a fighting platform or a sentry walk
Acknowledgements
Appendix 1: Published records of chamfered string course stones from Hadrian’s Wall
Appendix 2: The Berm Obstacles
Bibliography

 

Milecastle gate towers: present or absent? – Derek A. Welsby
Introduction
Discussion
The presence or absence of towers over milecastle gateways
Tower or no tower?
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Appendix 1. Inventory of milecastle gates where there is relevant data for use in this study
Appendix 2. Measurements of the visible stonework in milecastle and fort gates along Hadrian’s Wall
Bibliography

  • Edited by Derek A. Welsby
  • Edited by Nick Hodgson