| Milecastle 51 | |
|---|---|
 The site of Milecastle 51 | |
  Location within Cumbria | |
| Type | Milecastle |
| Place in the Roman world | |
| Province | Britannia |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 54°58′57″N2°38′15″W / 54.982382°N 2.637411°W Coordinates: 54°58′57″N2°38′15″W / 54.982382°N 2.637411°W |
| County | Cumbria |
| Country | England |
| Reference | |
| UK-OSNG reference | NY59306549 |
Milecastle 51 (Wall Bowers) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (grid reference NY59306549 ).
Milecastle 51 is west of Birdoswald fort (grid reference NY59306549 ), at the point where the Stone Wall rejoins the line of the Turf Wall. [1] It lies 1501m west of Milecastle 50 and 1484m east of Milecastle 52. The remains are in poor condition, consisting of turf covered foundations with traces of a ditch to the east. [2]
The milecastle was excavated in 1927, 1934 and 1936. [2] Although not now visible, excavation showed that it had two internal stone barracks buildings. It had Type III gateways.
The stone milecastle replaced its underlying predecessor, Milecastle 51TW, on the Turf Wall.
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 51 are known as Turret 51A and Turret 51B.
Turret 51A (Piper Sike) (grid reference NY58826530 ) is of the type normally associated with the Turf Wall, and later replaced in stone. [3] The turret was excavated in 1927 and again in 1970. [3] The entrance was on the east side and a substantial platform against the north wall. [3] Cooking hearths and rubbish were found spread over the rest of the turret. [3] Occupation is not believed to have continued later than the 2nd century AD. [3] The turret was consolidated after 1970 and survives to a maximum height of 0.8 metres. [3]
Turret 51B (Leahill) (grid reference NY58386511 ) measures 4.1 by 4.3 metres. It was excavated in 1927 and again in 1958. [4] It replaced the earlier Turf Wall turret. [4] The stone turret has been consolidated and survives to a maximum height of 1.1 metres. [4]
Milecastle 48 , is a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall. Its remains lie near the village of Gilsland in Cumbria where it was historically known as "The King's Stables", owing to the well-preserved interior walls. Unusually a substantial section of stone stairs has survived within the milecastle. The two turrets associated with this milecastle have also survived as above-ground masonry.
Milecastle 49 was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall.
Milecastle 50 was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall.
Milecastle 52 (Bankshead) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall.
Milecastle 53 was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall.
Milecastle 39 is a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall.
Milecastle 38 (Hotbank) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall in the vicinity of Hotbank Farm,. It is notable for the joint inscription bearing the names of the emperor Hadrian and Aulus Platorius Nepos, the governor of Brittania at the time the Wall was built.
Leahill Turret is a typical example of one of the lookout towers located between the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria; located on the Lanercost Road near Banks, Parish of Waterhead. It is designated turret 51b and lies east of the Signal Tower at Pike Hill.
Milecastle 20 was one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall. It is situated in the hamlet of Halton Shields, and was excavated in 1935. There is no visible trace of the milecastle above ground.
Milecastle 79 was one of a series of Milecastles or small fortlets built at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along Hadrian's Wall.
Milecastle 72 was one of a series of Milecastles or small fortlets built at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along Hadrian's Wall.
Pike Hill Signal Tower was one of a number of signal stations that were built on high ground overlooking the line of the Roman Stanegate road in northern Britannia during the early 2nd century. It later became incorporated into Hadrian's Wall. Its remains, a 2-metre long fragment of the south-east wall, lie south of a modern road cutting and field wall, and are located in the parish of Waterhead in Cumbria, United Kingdom. The tower is located between Turret 51B and Turret 52A with the fort of Banna located to the east.
Milecastle 33 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall, one of a series of small fortlets built at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along the length of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern England.
Milecastle 34 (Grindon) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. There are no visible remains, but the site is within a small, tree-filled, walled enclosure located around 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) east of Sewingshields farm.
Milecastle 44 (Allolee) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall.
Milecastle 37 is one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall. It is immediately west of the Housesteads Roman Fort.
Milecastle 35 (Sewingshields) is one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall. The remains still exist as exposed masonry.
Milecastle 36 was one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall. There is little to see on the ground as most of the walls have been robbed and quarried away.
Milecastle 45 (Walltown) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall.
Milecastle 50TW was a milecastle on the Turf Wall section of Hadrian's Wall. The milecastle is located close to the Birdoswald Roman Fort and is unique in that it was not replaced by a stone milecastle when the turf wall was upgraded to stone, the replacement wall instead running some 200m to the north. The milecastle was partially demolished by the Romans after it was abandoned. The milecastle was excavated in 1934 and several Roman rubbish pits discovered. The remains of the two turrets associated with this milecastle have also been located. As the turf wall lies some distance from the stone wall, the sites are not accessible from the Hadrian's Wall Path.
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Forts and structures of Hadrian's Wall | ||
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| Wall Forts (East to West) |   | |
| Outpost Forts | ||
| Stanegate Forts |
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| Supply Forts | ||
| Cumbrian Coast Forts (North to South) |
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| Milecastles | ||
| Milefortlets | ||
| Other structures on Hadrian's Wall | ||
| Regular and linear features | ||