WALLSEND (Segedunum)		Quality of Remains
		Ease of Access
		Atmosphere & Setting

History:

Segedunum or 'the Strong Fort', lies at the eastern terminus of Hadrian's wall (hence its later name.) Though the wall was originally intended to finish at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, the extension to Wallsend was added long before the wall westwards had been completed. Due probably to the close proximity of the river Tyne to Newcastle and Wallsend, there is no evidence of the vallum being continued from the original site along this extension. The fort seems to have been laid out from the beginning as a mixed cavalry and infantry fort constructed in stone with some internal buildings of stone and others of wood. During the campaigns of Septimius Severus in Scotland there was extensive rebuilding at Wallsend, including a fore-hall to the headquarters building, completion in stone of earlier timber buildings and the construction of a large hospital.

Occupation:

Though the original Hadrianic garrison of Wallsend is unknown, the 2nd Cohort of Nervii were in place in the late 2nd century. These were replaced in the 3rd century with the 4th Cohort of Lingones who, according to the Notitia Dignitatum, remained in occupation until the fall of Roman control in Britain.

Remains and Visit:

Wallsend is one of the major surprises of the Newcastle area. The fort itself is not particularly noteworthy. Around a third of it lies beneath the modern road and the paving in front of a row of houses opposite. The consolidated remains within the site are foundations only and most of those are not visible except for their positions being marked out on the ground. That, in fact, is what Wallsend largely consists of: the layout of the fort picked out on the ground in different coloured stones, with occasional small stretches of stone work visible. It is not the actual fort remains that draw visitors in their thousands here though. Wallsend, like other sites in the Tyneside area, has indulged in reconstructive works. To one side of the fort lies a completely reconstructed, beautifully decorated and very informative bath house. Not far from thge site is a consolidated stretch of Hadrian's wall, with a reconstructed section of wall running alongside. Moreover, the site's museum is informative and atmospheric, laid out as it is in the form of a reconstruction of the fort's headquarters building. Above this towers a huge viewing platform with a video display showing 2000 years of Wallsend's history. The site that is so barren and flat and makes such a small impression from the ground takes on a whole new interest when viewed from a hundred feet above. All in all, Segedunum is one of the few truly unmissable sights of the Hadrian's Wall area.

Images:

Fort from viewing platform	Hospital	Barracks	Hadrian's Wall extension to the river
The strongroom	Reconstructed bath house	Reconstructed cold bath	Reconstructed latrines
Reconstruction in the museum	Reconstructed Hadrian's Wall	Aerial view & plan