Antonine Wall

The Antonine Wall is the largest relic of the Roman occupation of Scotland. Built around AD142, on the orders of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, it marked the northern border to the Roman Empire and was constructed as a defence against the northern tribes.

 

 

It stretched from Carriden on the Forth to Old Kilpatrick on the Clyde, and was approximately 37 miles long. Unlike the stone-built Hadrian's Wall, the Antonine Wall consisted of a rampant of soil faced with turf, resting on a stone foundation. It originally stood 12 feet high, and was protected on the north side by a V-shaped ditch that was 40 feet wide and 12 feet deep.

 

South of the wall itself ran a cobbled road – the 'Military Way' – which linked a network of forts that were built along the wall at intervals of approximately 2 miles. These forts acted as barracks for troops who defended the frontier.

 

The Antonine Wall was constantly being attacked by the Picts and, by AD160, as the Roman Empire gradually became weaker, the Wall was abandoned as the Roman army retreated to the south.

World Heritage Site status

On 7 July 2008, the Antonine Wall was awarded World Heritage Site status. The decision was made by UN cultural body UNESCO in Canada.

 

The announcement was part of a larger, international effort to see Roman frontiers across Europe recognised. A Scottish bid was put forward by Historic Scotland with the backing of both the Scottish and UK Governments.

 

The Wall now joins a select group of globally-important structures like the Great Wall of China, New Lanark and Stonehenge.

The Antonine Wall today

In many places the wall has been built over or lost forever. However, despite the passage of time, substantial lengths of the wall can be seen at various sites within the Falkirk area including Watling Lodge, Rough Castle, Kinneil Estate, Polmonthill, Callendar Park and Seabegs Wood.

 

You can also see exhibitions on the Antonine Wall at Kinneil Museum in Bo'ness|, and at Callendar House Museum in Falkirk|. Both museums are run by Falkirk Council |and are free of charge to visit.

Watling Lodge, Tamfourhill

Here you will find the best surviving stretch of the Antonine Wall, which gives the clearest impression of the formidable nature of the ditch. It is still about 40 feet wide and 15 feet deep. The remains of the turf rampart can be seen as a low mound set back some 20 feet south of the ditch. Siting the Wall at this position gave an unobstructed view of the countryside to the north.

Rough Castle, Near Bonnybridge

This is the best preserved of all the forts on the Antonine Wall. Built against the back of the wall, this fort was defended by turf ramparts, 20 feet thick on a stone base. Double ditches ran round the other three sides. In places the wall itself still stands some 5 feet high, and the ditch and rampart of the wall are particularly well preserved.

 

The fort lies to the east, and would probably have provided barrack accommodation for about 500 men. The rampart and ditches can be followed round the fort, and the over grown ruins of some of the more important buildings can still be seen.

 

Over the causeway across the Antonine ditch, lies a series of pits called 'lilia'. These originally had a pointed stake at the bottom of each to serve as a trap for anyone attacking the fort.

 

 

 

Kinneil Estate, Bo'ness

In 1978, excavations at Kinneil Estate uncovered a small Roman fort, which would have been attached to the rear of the Antonine Wall. The fort consisted of a rectangular area, enclosed by a turf and earth rampart, protected by an outer ditch.

 

A gravel road ran from south to north through the fort, with gateways at either end, the positions of which are now marked by timber posts. Timber posts also mark the positions of original Roman buildings that were found within the fort during an excavation in 1981. Several finds from this area are now on show in the nearby Kinneil Museum.

Polmonthill, Near Grangemouth

From Kinneil, the Antonine Wall ran westwards on the crest of the high ground. A small part of the ditch can still be seen, parallel to and on the North side of Polmonthill ski slope, although it is far shallower than it was originally.

Callendar Park, Falkirk

The ditch of the Antonine Wall can be seen in the grounds of Callendar Park. It runs westwards from the Business Park for about half a mile and is still 6–10 feet deep. The wall itself survives for part of this length, as a low mound, set back from the Southern edge of the ditch between two lines of trees.

Seabegs Wood, Near Bonnybridge

The line of the Antonine ditch and wall can clearly be seen running for a quarter of a mile through Seabegs Wood, to the South of the Forth and Clyde Canal. At this point the ditch is still some 40 feet wide, but only 6–8 feet deep. In places, the rampart survives to a height of 4 feet.

Other Sites

There are also a number of other less well preserved sites within the Falkirk area, where there are interpretative display panels to describe each location for visitors. These are located at Kemper Avenue, Anson Avenue and Tamfourhill Road in Falkirk, and Castlecary.

 

The museums at Falkirk and Kinneil also house an extensive collection of finds, including pottery, jewellery, weapons and clothing which have been uncovered from sites around the route of the Antonine Wall.

Further Information

For a more detailed account of Falkirk's Roman heritage and the building of the Antonine Wall, please see the History & Heritage section |of this site.

 

You can discover the Antonine Wall by following some of the suggested walks |around Bo'ness, Polmont, Falkirk, Camelon and Bonnybridge.

 

For more information on the Antonine Wall, please contact Falkirk Council's Cultural Services department, Callendar House, Callendar Park, Falkirk, FK1 1YR. Telephone: 01324 503770. Email: callendar.house@falkirk.gov.uk|

 

 

Some of the pictures in this section are courtesy of The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS).