Turret 11A was a small stone watchtower on Hadrian's Wall, situated between Milecastle 11 (Wall Fell) and Milecastle 12 (Heddon), in the sector running east from the well-preserved stretch at Heddon-on-the-Wall. Like other turrets along the Wall, it was built in the 120s AD as part of Hadrian's frontier system and was likely garrisoned by a small detachment (probably 4–8 men) drawn from auxiliary units based at nearby forts, with occupation continuing into the later 2nd century before many turrets in this sector were abandoned.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The turret formed part of the regularly spaced observation and signalling network — a turret every third of a Roman mile — providing surveillance over the approaches to the Wall and intercommunication between milecastles. Its position west of Newcastle (Pons Aelius) placed it within the eastern sector where the Wall was built in stone from the outset.
Very little is recorded specifically for Turret 11A; it has not been the subject of significant published excavation, and its remains lie beneath or adjacent to modern development around Heddon Hall, with no upstanding masonry visible. Its existence and approximate position are inferred from the regular turret spacing established along the Wall rather than from substantive structural evidence at this particular point.
Turret 11A was a small stone watchtower on Hadrian's Wall, situated between Milecastle 11 (Wall Fell) and Milecastle 12 (Heddon), in the sector running east from the well-preserved stretch at Heddon-on-the-Wall. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a watch tower site from the Roman period in Britain.
Turret 11A (Heddon Hall) is classified as a Roman watch tower — 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 11 (Throckley Bank Top) (0.5 km), Turret 11B (Great Hill) (0.5 km), Milecastle 12 (Heddon) (1 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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