Hadrian's Wall: Some Aspects of Its Post-Roman Influence on the Landscape (British Archaeological Reports (BAR), 296)

Commentators throughout the ages have recorded the dismantling of Hadrian's Wall until sections were no more than a stone quarry. The main aim of this study is to explore where the wall has gone to, who robbed it, when, and for what reason. Whitworth discusses the various buildings and structures that have reused the stone, evidence for reoccupation of forts, place-names, documentary sources, travellers' accounts and modern archaeological research. He shows that, while Anglo-Saxons exploited the stone for their ecclesiastical buildings and this use was extended after the Norman Conquest, most of the damage was done within the last 300 years. This fascinating guide to northern England covers a large geographical area and 1500 years of history and clearly demonstrates that the wall did not become redundant after the withdrawal of the Romans but continued to influence the manmade and natural landscape.

Alan Michael Whitworth