Roman BritainTurret 2A
Roman Watch Tower · Military

Turret 2A

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 967060276
Site type
Watch Tower
Category
Military
Latitude
54.9780
Longitude
-1.5735
Overview

History & context

Turret 2A, known as Wallsend Turret, was one of the recessed stone turrets built into Hadrian's Wall as part of the original Hadrianic scheme (c. AD 122 onwards), positioned between Milecastle 2 and Milecastle 3 at the eastern end of the Wall near Segedunum (Wallsend). Like other Wall turrets, it would have been a small two-storey tower roughly 4-5m square internally, serving as an observation and signalling post garrisoned by a handful of soldiers detached from the nearest auxiliary fort.

Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →

Significance

Historical significance

Its location near the eastern terminus of the Wall placed it within the densely controlled approach to Segedunum, contributing to the surveillance of the Tyne frontier and the river crossing zone. It formed part of the regular turret-milecastle-fort system that defined the operation of the Wall's eastern sector.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

The turret's site lies beneath the modern urban fabric of Wallsend/Newcastle and has not been substantively excavated or exposed in modern times; its existence is inferred from the regular spacing of the Wall's turret system rather than from direct structural evidence. No specific finds assemblage is recorded for this turret.

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Turret 2A?

Turret 2A, known as Wallsend Turret, was one of the recessed stone turrets built into Hadrian's Wall as part of the original Hadrianic scheme (c. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a watch tower site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Turret 2A?

Turret 2A 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.

What other Roman sites are near Turret 2A?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Milecastle 2 (Walker) (0.3 km), Turret 2B (0.5 km), Turret 1B (0.7 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.

How can I research the history of the area around Turret 2A?

Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.

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