Official Website of Hadrian's Wall Country

No Roman campaign at this northern edge of the known world (that’s pretty much how the Romans saw it anyway - shades of ‘there be monsters’ lay beyond!), was possible without the garrison town of Corbridge. The site was occupied longer than any other along the Wall and the fort was the focus of an impressive town (by the standards of the day).

The remains of two substantial granaries can clearly be seen. What’s in a granary, you may think? Well, quite a lot as it happens. Whilst mostly eating cereals, there’s every chance that soldiers got their ‘five a day’ as well. There’s evidence of strawberries, apricots and peaches plus veggies, meat and fish. Oh, and coriander and opium poppies - for use as seasoning only … obviously. 

Clear evidence of the Roman flair for organisation can be seen. But then, if you were running such a huge empire, you’d have to be good at organisation, wouldn’t you? An aqueduct from the north fed the fountain and its great water tank. There are workshops, barracks, officers’ houses and even an underground strongroom for holding those essential valuables.

The fort lay on the pivotal intersection of Stanegate road and Roman Dere Street and was at the best place for crossing the river Tyne. Setting foot on Stanegate road means walking on a thoroughfare that pre-dates the Wall; we can only imagine the thousands and thousands of feet that have trod their weary way along here over 2,000 years. It was the well-trodden way between the early Roman forts and it’s simply amazing that it’s still here to be experienced.

The museum here contains some unusual stuff. There’s the stroppy-looking Corbridge lion which was probably originally designed for a tomb but found itself adorning a fountain. The words ‘the love-token of Polemios’ are inscribed on a gold ring. Who was he? Who did he give this to? Such questions are half the fun of visiting Hadrian’s Wall. It’s not just what you see (and there’s a lot here) but those tantalising titbits that lift the veil of history and allow us to peek through.