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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: Link
Hadrian's Wall Bridges by Bidwell & Holbrook, English Heritage (1989): Link
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: Link
Hadrian's Wall Bridges by Bidwell & Holbrook, English Heritage (1989): Link
Created: Sun, 26 Jul 2015, Updated: Sun, 26 Jul 2015
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