2011

NY9170 : Remains of Chesters Roman Bridge

taken 15 years ago, near to Low Brunton, Northumberland, England

Remains of Chesters Roman Bridge
Remains of Chesters Roman Bridge
Hadrian's Wall, on the right, runs down the slope towards the river where it was carried over the water on the first of two bridges. The second Roman bridge was built on a massive scale, intended to take a road carriageway over the River North Tyne into the fort at Chesters (Cilurnum).
LinkExternal link
Chesters Roman Bridge

The Roman Bridge at Chesters has been described as the most remarkable feature on the whole line of Hadrian's Wall.

The east abutment of the bridge, which can be accessed on a footpath from a gate on the south side of the road bridge at Chollerford, was part of a large road bridge of 58m length built in about AD 160 to carry the Military Way (the road accompanying Hadrian’s Wall) over the river North Tyne. The abutment, from which the easternmost of four arches sprang, incorporates the pier of an earlier and much smaller bridge which was part of the original construction of Hadrian’s Wall. The later bridge continued in use until the end of the Roman period and was demolished in the AD 670s to provide building materials for St Wilfrid’s church at Hexham.

The course of the river, at the point where it was bridged, has considerably altered since Roman times. The east bank now lies approximately 15m west of the position it occupied then and this shift in its course has resulted in the east abutment of bridge 2 being engulfed in silt.

English Heritage - Chesters Bridge Abutment: LinkExternal link

Hadrian's Wall Bridges by Bidwell & Holbrook, English Heritage (1989): LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Andrew Curtis and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Category: Roman archaeological site other tags: Bridge Roman Archaeology Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
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NY9170, 341 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Andrew Curtis   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 1 April, 2011   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 1 April, 2011
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NY 9141 7007 [10m precision]
WGS84: 55:1.5053N 2:8.1539W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NY 9142 7005
View Direction
North-northwest (about 337 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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