Old Roman Fort is Presented to Nation

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7201, 26 April 1930, Page 5

Old Roman Fort is Presented to Nation

A notable addition to the ever-grow« ing list of properties held by the National Trust is the Roman fort, of Housesteads in Northumberland. This has been presented, together with a length of Hadrian’s Wall on either 1 side, amounting in all to about threequarters of a mile. In Roman times this fort was known as Borcovicium and was onte of several on the wall. It has always been regarded as one of the best preserved since, thanks to the fewness of dwellings in the neighbourhood, there has been little temptation to remove the stones for building purposes. The Romans built well when they occupied England, and Borcovicium was no exception, • for its eastern wall is five feet thick. The .fort was first excavated and uncovered in modern times in 1822 and again in 1898. It appears to have been garrisoned by the troops who. had charge of the defence of this portion of the wall. The Knag burn or streamlet still passes under the wall, as it probably did in those early days so. that'there should bo no breach in the wall. ■ The holes in the stones which held the pivots for the doors can still be seen, and on tho threshold on either side of the central stone can be seen a groove about eight inches deep caused, presumably, by the chariot wheels. These grooves are 4 feet 8J inches apart, which, by a curious coincidence is the gauge of British railways and is also the same as the wheel marks in ths streets of Pompeii.