02-27-2014, 10:13 AM
What is a bit strange is why did the Roman engineers bring Hadrian's Wall all the way down from its high vantage point of about a mile above the top of the Tyne valley at only this place where there was a bridge over the river,
Then just about a couple of hundred yards before reaching the fort turn left to miss what they had engineered the whole system for, indeed the later medieval castle stands on the site of the earlier Roman fort and taking the line of the modern westgate road which is the line of the wall it comes all the way down to what is known as the black gate that is part of the castle.
Then there is the archaeological view at times that this fort is of later origin however the bridge and the fort may even go back to the Agricolan times, with the Stanegate coming all the way to this fort. It is considered that the name Pons Aelius indicates that Hadrian built this bridge however it may just be that he re-built or re-furbished what was already there.
Then just about a couple of hundred yards before reaching the fort turn left to miss what they had engineered the whole system for, indeed the later medieval castle stands on the site of the earlier Roman fort and taking the line of the modern westgate road which is the line of the wall it comes all the way down to what is known as the black gate that is part of the castle.
Then there is the archaeological view at times that this fort is of later origin however the bridge and the fort may even go back to the Agricolan times, with the Stanegate coming all the way to this fort. It is considered that the name Pons Aelius indicates that Hadrian built this bridge however it may just be that he re-built or re-furbished what was already there.
Brian Stobbs
