This section comprises the curtain of Hadrian's Wall and its accompanying vallum running west from Sunnybrae at Halton Shields towards the auxiliary fort of Onnum (Halton Chesters), crossing the gently undulating ground of wall miles 20 and 21. Built from c. AD 122 under Hadrian and occupied with modifications into the later 4th century, this stretch includes the line of the Wall, the vallum earthwork to its south, and the Military Way running between them, with Milecastle 21 (Down Hill) and associated turrets along the course.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
This sector formed part of the central command zone approaching Onnum, where the Wall is crossed by Dere Street, the major Roman road running north into Scotland — making it a strategically important junction between the linear frontier and the road network into the lowlands. The proximity of fort, milecastle, vallum and Dere Street here gives an unusually complete picture of frontier infrastructure.
Above-ground remains of the Wall itself in this stretch are largely ploughed down, but the vallum survives as a visible earthwork in places and the line has been traced through aerial photography, geophysical survey and antiquarian observation; Milecastle 21 was identified through such work though never fully excavated. No major modern open-area excavation is recorded specifically for the curtain between Sunnybrae and Onnum, and detailed structural information for this particular stretch remains limited.
This section comprises the curtain of Hadrian's Wall and its accompanying vallum running west from Sunnybrae at Halton Shields towards the auxiliary fort of Onnum (Halton Chesters), crossing the gently undulating ground of wall miles 20 and 21. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Sunnybrae at Halton Shields and Haltonchesters Roman fort in wall miles 20 and 21 is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Milecastle 21 (Down Hill) (0.3 km), Turret 20B (Downhill East) (0.3 km), Turret 20A (Carr Hill) (0.7 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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Research the area around Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Sunnybrae at Halton Shields and Haltonchesters Roman fort in wall miles 20 and 21