Aerial Survey Reveals Hidden History of Hadrian's Wall
Coast to Coast Mapping of World Heritage Site Completed
A new survey of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site has revealed over 2,700 previously unrecorded historic features, including prehistoric burial mounds, medieval sheep farms and 19th century lead mines. The survey, based on 30,500 aerial photographs taken in the last 60 years has mapped the entire World Heritage Site, placing the Roman fortification within a historic landscape that stretches from the Neolithic period to the Cold War.
David MacLeod, Senior Investigator for English Heritage's Aerial Survey and Investigation team, explained: "We need to remember that Hadrian’s Wall is not an isolated monument set within a landscape devoid of any other history. This region saw a tremendous amount of activity before the Romans arrived and after they left, traces and memories of which remain today. Our new survey maps all those historic layers. It will help us to understand and manage the rich heritage of human activity that has shaped this landscape, whether it is the remains of a Bronze Age farm or a 20th century gun battery. This record provides the foundation for future researchers to build on."
The English Heritage project to map the landscapes of the Roman frontier began in 2002 and encompassed an area of 1,725 kilometres, covering the entire length of the wall from the Solway Plain in the west to Newcastle in the east, and also included the Cumbrian coastal defences. The surveyed area is a broad band, up to 15 kilometres wide, with Hadrian’s Wall running through the centre of it.
English Heritage experts identified, interpreted and recorded all the archaeological features visible on 30,500 aerial photographs taken between 1930 and 2006. Features catalogued include an Iron Age hillfort near the village of Fourstones, Northumberland; the deserted medieval village of East Matfen, Tyne & Wear; and a World War II anti-aircraft gun battery near Cleadon, Tyneside. Old photographs can show sites that no longer exist. For example, historic photographs show hundreds of World War II structures but many of these were removed soon after the war ended and leave no trace on the ground today. The English Heritage survey provides a record of such activity as well as actual archaeological remains.
Linda Tuttiett, Chief Executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, the organisation appointed to manage, protect and promote the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, praised English Heritage for this fantastic piece of work, "The World Heritage Site and the surrounding Hadrian’s Wall Country has a wealth of stories to tell from every era of history and this new aerial survey highlights the many ways that our forefathers interacted and thrived in this unique landscape."
The Hadrian's Wall project is part of the English Heritage National Mapping Programme (NMP). The NMP aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of archaeological information available on aerial photographs.
Records and reports from the Hadrian's Wall survey and other NMP projects, are made available to the public through the National Monuments Record and local Historic Environment Records.
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