Milecastle 51, known as Wall Bowers, is one of the small fortlets built at approximately one Roman mile intervals along Hadrian's Wall, constructed in the 120s AD during the initial building programme under Hadrian and occupied, with phases of repair and reduced garrisoning, into the late 4th century. It lies on the Turf Wall sector west of the River Irthing, in the stretch between Birdoswald (Banna) and Castlesteads (Camboglanna), and would have housed a small detachment (perhaps 8–32 men) drawn from the auxiliary garrisons of nearby forts, controlling a gated crossing point through the Wall.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
As a Turf Wall milecastle subsequently replaced in stone, it forms part of the evidence for the rebuilding sequence in this western sector, where Hadrian's original turf-and-timber rampart was progressively converted to stone. Its function combined surveillance, traffic control, and the regulation (and likely taxation) of movement across the frontier.
The site was identified in early antiquarian surveys of the Wall and is recognised by surface earthworks; however, no major modern excavation has been published, and its plan, gate type (long-axis or short-axis), and internal buildings remain poorly characterised compared with extensively dug milecastles such as MC48 (Poltross Burn) or MC50TW. What
Milecastle 51, known as Wall Bowers, is one of the small fortlets built at approximately one Roman mile intervals along Hadrian's Wall, constructed in the 120s AD during the initial building programme under Hadrian and occupied, with phases of repair and reduced garrisoning, into the late 4th century. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fortlet site from the Roman period in Britain.
Milecastle 51 (Wall Bowers) is classified as a Roman fortlet — 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 Turret 50B (Turf Wall) (0.4 km), Turret 50B (Appletree) (0.5 km), Coombe Crag Roman Quarry (0.5 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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