[dave-r]

2010 marks the 1600th anniversary of the end of Roman Britain in AD410. So the length of Hadrians Wall was lit up with torches every few hundred yards along its entire length from coast to coast.

I didn't have time to take part in this event but I did have a drive along part of the route.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8565759.stm

http://www.illuminatinghadrianswall.com/

[Tim]

Typical!

Never heard one mention of this on any news item on the radio or the TV, at any time. Too busy reporting which footballer slept with which wife this week, to make mention of an evocative celebration of our history.

Absolute disgrace.

I would have loved to have seen this. I bet it looked fantastic. Did you get any pics Dave?

[dave-r]

No mate. It was dark. All you could really see from the car in the city was a line of lights in front of the shops and houses.

I just ran a little way up the West Road (A69) where I grew up because it was lit up all along there. I grew up in a house built just a hundred yards off the site of the wall and the older parts of the A69 runs alongside it. I didn't go out into the country where the ruins of the wall still run.

A lad I know called Paul Alsop was one of the official photographers and I am sure he will have taken better photos than I could have. I will see if I can get a link to his photobucket or something.

[dave-r]

You should find some photos Paul took here;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmalsop

But the official website I linked to above will probably be your best bet for images.

[dave-r]

I think it looked better before dark and they lit the torches.

[Tim]

I think it looked better before dark and they lit the torches.

What a stunning location, and a great event. Gutted I missed this. Have you ever walked any of these sections Dave?

[dave-r]

Of course. But back in the days when you were allowed to actually walk ON the wall rather than on a path to one side of it.

Places like the old Fort at Housesteads near were that dusk photo was taken are still regular field trips for school kids.

[dave-r]

Actually that photo must have been taken at dawn. They used natural cliffs where they could and the cliff faces North to the enemy (the tribes of what became Scotland)

[drewcrane]

No mate. It was dark. All you could really see from the car in the city was a line of lights in front of the shops and houses.

I just ran a little way up the West Road (A69) where I grew up because it was lit up all along there. I grew up in a house built just a hundred yards off the site of the wall and the older parts of the A69 runs alongside it. I didn't go out into the country where the ruins of the wall still run.

A lad I know called Paul Alsop was one of the official photographers and I am sure he will have taken better photos than I could have. I will see if I can get a link to his photobucket or something.

so you grew up near this wall, and you could just walk up to it an climb on it?

how far did you live from this area?

[dave-r]

It runs right through Newcastle where I live mate. Or at least it did. There is just a few bits left here and there in the city. Most of it was used as a free source of building materials so there is not a lot left in teh populated areas. There was no thought to protect old buildings and ruins until the 20th century.

The streets i grew up in were 100 yards from where the wall was. Some of the houses have the remains of old roman temples etc in there back yards and gardens.

[dave-r]

This is the remains of the large Fort at Wallsend which is in the eastern part of the city.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=54 ... 1&t=h&z=18

[dave-r]

This house has a temple in the garden.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=54 ... .42,,0,5.5

[dave-r]

A few streets along from that temple is an old gate that went through the wall.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=54 ... 2,,0,30.64

[dave-r]

There are bits of wall all along the side of the A69 West Road.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=54 ... 56,,0,9.93

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=54 ... 25.18,,0,5

[drewcrane]

The streets i grew up in were 100 yards from where the wall was.

that is awesome dave, that eye in the sky gets pretty close,

it reminds me of 1993 when be and a buddie got to see the mayan ruins at 6:30 am before anybody
, the guide let us climb all over everything, and then lisa and i went there in 96 and same thing we have a pic of ourselves on top of a mayan step pyramid(not really pyramids)

, and now nobody can get with in 50 ft of the things,

at least some governments are smart enough to keep what is left of them,

are those people with them in there yards are the required to keep them as is?

[patrick]

Good stuff, Dave. That photo that Paul took of the wall with the torches, is awesome.

[dave-r]

are those people with them in there yards are the required to keep them as is?

Yes. In fact the house with the temple out back was sold recently and the stipulation was that the new owners have to learn all the history of the place so people can knock on their door and ask.

[Tim]

I think I drove past some of these sites last time I was trying to find your house, Dave. Some of them twice.

[drewcrane]

that would be awesome to have that kind of history right in your" banarama "back yard, wow how cool is that,


so would that house be worth more with those ruins on the property?

[dave-r]

Actually I think it went for less than these houses normally go for. Most people want a garden they can use and not everyone wants people knocking on their door at all hours about it either.

[drewcrane]

wow since most ruins are kept away from people ,to have one in your back yard does present some problems,and im sure whom ever resides there is responsible for any damage that might occur,

wow i never thought about it , it would be a pain in the arse