Chesters Roman Bridge

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The eastern abutment of the rampart bridge with the northern quay wall
Pillar fragment on the eastern abutment, it probably comes from the superstructure of the bridge
Storage place for Roman stone blocks near the bridge
Stone-based plan of the western abutment and the two stone pillars (Bridge II) from the 19th century
Display board on the riverside

The Chester Roman Bridge was part of Hadrian's Wall and spanned the North Tyne River in the town of Chollerford , Northumberland , England . It was located in the immediate vicinity east of the Wall Fort of Chesters ( Cilurnum ).

The multi-phase bridge made it possible to cross the upper Tyne (North Tyne) and was one of the earliest structures of this type on Hadrian's Wall. It is one of the most impressive surviving Roman buildings on this section of the wall. The original Roman route between Corbridge and Carlisle , now known as Stanegate , crossed the Tyne by a ford, or more likely by a wooden bridge, some half a mile downstream from Chesters. Hadrian's Wall crossed the river on the Chesters Bridge. The military road that accompanied the wall on its south side later passed through it. On her one reached u. a. the ramparts of Chesters, which stood immediately after the bridge on the west bank of the Tyne. It is now accessible by foot from the nearby Chollerford Bridge. The foundation walls of the eastern abutment of Bridge II and its watchtower have been preserved to this day. When the water level is low, the remains of the western abutment and the substructures of two pillars in the middle of the river bed are visible.

Research history

The Chesters bridge piers were first examined in the 19th century; their remains were uncovered and stabilized in the 1980s. The first descriptions of the remains of the western abutment and the two pillars date from the late 16th century. In 1851 the first sketch of the wall remains visible at the time was published. It was later discovered that part of the bridge was still buried under the east bank. From 1860 to early 1863, this area was also excavated and examined by William Coulson in collaboration with John Clayton. Further excavations were carried out by Frank Gerald Simpson in 1946 and by Paul Bidwell and Neil Holbrook from 1982 to 1983. The excavations of Paul Bidwell and Bill Griffiths in the years 1990-1991 on the west bank confirmed the existence of a second access ramp and the west tower. In 2003, some remains of the bridge were recovered from the Tyne.

development

Bridge I was probably in use until 140 or 160. During this time the crews of Hadrian's Wall were temporarily relocated to Antonine Wall in Scotland. When Hadrian's Wall was reoccupied, it was demolished (or destroyed by flooding) and replaced by Bridge II. Little is known about their later fate. Finds of coins from the late 4th century and pottery in the area of ​​the western access ramp suggest that the bridge remained intact until the early 5th century. It was finally demolished around 670 for the construction of the St. Wilfried Monastery in Hexham . Parts of the arches and pillars were dropped into the river, probably to get better at the lead clips. The lead (presumably the masonry contained up to eight tons) was used for the roofing of the church. Stones from the structure of the bridge can be easily recognized by their dark coloring in the crypt of the monastery church.

Bridge I.

It was simple and even less massive than its successor and was probably built at the same time as Hadrian's Wall (between 122 and 130). The construction was based on at least nine stone pillars, each about 4 m apart. They were provided with triangular baffles on the north side . One of them has been preserved on the east bank as it was integrated into the masonry of the abutment of the second bridge. Its superstructure was probably initially made of wood. The total length of the bridge was 61 m. Their carriageway was only 3 m wide. The width of the wall in this section was also approx. 3 m. So this bridge only supported the battlements of the wall. The stone blocks were held together by so-called dovetail clips made of lead.

Attempt to reconstruct Bridge I (2nd century AD)

Bridge II

The first bridge was replaced around 192 by a much more massive and, above all, twice as wide construction. Its masonry was built using the opus-quadratum technique. At both ends there were watchtowers or gates (6 m × 6 m) that secured access to the bridge. The base of the eastern abutment consists of a central section and two angled quay walls in the north and south, which protected the abutment from the flowing water of the river. The northern quay wall is still fully upright; a phallic symbol is carved on it to ward off bad luck. The south wall and its later extension served as the basis of the access ramp. The two watchtowers were later dismantled and nine meter high ramps were built in their place, which now also enabled wagons to pass the bridge. They also served as supports to prevent the foundations of the abutments from being torn away during floods. The bank area was additionally reinforced with quay walls north and south of the eastern abutment.

Since the course of the Tyne had shifted about 20 m to the west over the centuries, a large part of the abutment there was destroyed by undercutting, but some walls can still be seen when the water level is low. It is mainly the remains of the watchtower wall. On the slope behind it are scattered debris from the core of the access ramp. The rectangular cut stone blocks of the masonry were provided with so-called " wolf holes " (Lewis Hole). With their help, the stones were lifted into place in the masonry during construction. The bridge had four arches, supported on three piers standing in the river with pointed breakwaters (width approx. 10.8 m). Their total length was 57.6 m. The roadway was 6 m wide. On both sides there were stone parapets on the upper sides of the arch structures and a cornice as railings. As on other Roman bridges of similar size, these were likely decorated with statues. Free-standing columns were attached to the parapets at regular intervals. Only a few keystones were found of the arches, but there are plenty of other finds in the form of grooved cornice blocks, parapet plates and ledges to prove that the bridge must have been built entirely of stone. However, some researchers still suspect that it was mostly made of wood. There is no archaeological evidence of repairs or major construction work after its completion. The only visible changes are the expansion of the southern part of the eastern abutment for the construction of the access ramp and the installation of a water channel. It ran through the floor of the east tower and the ramp and fed a watermill that stood south of the bridge.

literature

  • Frank Gerald Simpson: Watermills and Military Works on Hadrian's Wall: Excavations in Northumberland 1907-1913. Edition G Simpson, Kendal 1976.
  • Paul T. Bidwell, Neil Holbrook: Hadrian's Wall Bridges (= English Heritage Archaeological Report. Volume 9). Historic Buildings & Monuments Commission for England, London 1989, ISBN 1-850-74166-2 ( digitized ).
  • Paul T. Bidwell: Chesters - Cilurnum: the bridge. In: Hadrian's Wall 1989-1999. Edition P. Bidwell, Kendal 1999.
  • Robert Hugill: Road Guide to Northumberland and The Border. Andrew Reid & Company, Newcastle upon Tyne 1932.
  • Jazz S. Johnson: Chester's novel Fort Northumberland. English Heritage, London 1990, ISBN 1-85074-307-X .
  • Guy de la Bedoyere: Hadrian's Wall: history and guide. Tempus, 1998, ISBN 07524 1407 0 .
  • Stephen Johnson: Hadrian's Wall . BT Batsford, London 2004, ISBN 071348840 9 , pp. 31-32.

See also

Web links

Commons : Chesters Roman Bridge  - Collection of images

Remarks

  1. ↑ FG Simpson, 1976, pp. 44-49, PT Bidwell / N. Holbrook 1989, pp. 119-120.
  2. ↑ JS Johnson 1990, pp. 28-30, pp. 55-56, PT Bidwell / N. Holbrook 1989.
  3. ↑ JS Johnson 1990, pp. 28-30.
  4. ↑ Robert Hugill 1932, p. 221, Guy de la Bedoyere, 1998, pp. 55-56.

Coordinates: 55 ° 1 '30 "  N , 2 ° 8' 16.8"  W.