Hadrian's Wall, Benwell Hill to West Denton Hall (Wall mile 7

HER Number:
209

District:
Newcastle

Site Name:
Hadrian's Wall, Benwell Hill to West Denton Hall (Wall mile 7

Place:
Benwell

Map Sheet:
NZ26NW NZ16NE

Class:
Defence

Site Type: Broad:

Site Type: Specific:
Frontier Defence

General Period:
Roman

Specific Period:
C2

Form of Evidence:
Ruined Building

Description:
From Benwell Hill westwards the Wall lies on the south side of the West Road. The curtain wall is visible in three places: Denton Burn, attached to Turret 7b (see HER no.210) and west of Copperas Lane where 49 metres of Wall was exposed in 1987 prior to the construction of the Western Bypass. It was exposed in 1953 on the north side of the Methodist Chapel (at NZ 2035 6533) and in 1981 on the west side of 717 West Road. A watching brief at St Cuthbert's House in 2002 revealed a surviving section of Hadrian's Wall under Westgate Road - the northern facing stones were present and the Wall survived to one course high.The Vallum was destroyed between Denton Burn and Copperas Lane in 1938 but was sectioned in 1987 at Copperas Lane. A watching brief on 13th March 2002 at Benwell Cricket Club changing rooms failed to locate any trace of it, as did an evaluation at St. Cuthbert's High School in 2003. Turret 7a, if it ever existed, has not been found. A culvert allowing Denton Burn to pass under the wall was seen in the 19th century by Bruce, and a metalled track found in 1987 behind the Wall at Copperas Lane was in use between the 2nd and 3rd centuries. SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENT AND UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Easting:
209

Northing:
650

Grid Reference:
NZ209650

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
<< HER 209 >> P. Brewis, 1927, Notes on the Roman Wall at Denton Bank... Archaeologia Aeliana, 4, IV, pp. 109-112 G.R.B. Spain, 1929, North of England Excavation Committee, Second Report, 1926-1928, M.H. Dodds, ed. 1930, The Wall from Benwell Fort to Rudchester Burn, Northumberland County History, XIII, pp. 528-531 G.R.B. Spain, 1931, North of England Excavation Committee, Third Report, 1929-1930, E. Birley, 1958, The Roman Wall at Denton Bank, Archaeologia Aeliana, 4, XXXVI, pp. 308-310 J.C. Bruce & C.M. Daniels, 1978, Handbook to the Roman Wall, 13th edition, pp. 70-72 P.S. Austen, 1977, Denton Burn Library carpark, CEU 55 J. Bennett, A. Holmes 1981, Denton, 717 West Road, CEU 196 S.S. Frere, ed. 1988, Roman Britain in 1987, Britannia, 19, p. 433 P.S. Austen, 1986, Thorntree Farm, CEU 54 Council British Archaeology 3, Newsbulletin P. Bidwell 1989 Hadrian's Wall at Denton Burn Vol. 3, No. 12, Sept. 1989, p. 12 A. Whitworth, 1990, Denton Methodist Chapel, CEU 64 S.S. Frere, ed. 1991, Roman Britain in 1990, Britannia, 22, p. 234 J. Nolan, 1994, Excavation...at Denton Burn Methodist Church T. Frain, 2002, Tyne and Wear Museums, St Cuthbert's House, Benwell, Archaeological Watching Brief Tyne and Wear Museums, 2003, Charlie Browns Motorist Centre, Denton Road/West Road, Newcastle, Watching Brief Report G. Brogan, 2003, Tyne and Wear Museums, St Cuthbert's High School, Archaeological Assessment Archaeological Services University of Durham, 2003, St Cuthbert's Care Home, Newcastle, Watching Brief report T. Frain, 2003, Tyne and Wear Museums, St. Cuthbert's School, Benwell, Archaeological Evaluation P.T. Bidwell, 1997, A Water-Colour of a Culvert Through Hadrian's Wall at West Denton... Archaeologia Aeliana, Series 5, XXV, pp 151-152 F. Garrett, 2003,Tyne and Wear Museums, St Cuthbert's Care Home, Newcastle, Watching Brief; David J. Breeze, Handbook to the Roman Wall, fourteenth edition, pages 158-165; A D Archaeology, 2014, Denton Burn Library, West Road - Archaeological Watching Brief; Archaeological Services Durham University, 2010, Dene Lodge, Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne - Archaeological Evaluation; Archaeological Services Durham University, 2009, Dene Lodge, Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne - Archaeological Assessment; Pre-Construct Archaeology, 2009, St Cuthbert's RC High School, Gretna Road, Benwell, Newcastle upon Tyne - Archaeological Evaluation