When the Roman Emperor Hadrian visited Britain in the early second century, he decided to establish the limits of Roman rule by building a seventy three and a half mile wall between Bowness, on the Solway in the east, to Wallsend on the Tyne in the west. The wall itself was six to ten feet thick and fifteen feet high. It was faced with a ditch with an earthwork to the south. There were twenty four large forts with large garrison and every Roman mile a smaller milefort with smaller garrisons and between the mileforts, signal outposts.

Two decades later, the Roman frontier was pushed north, but by 166 AD the frontier was fixed at Hadrian’s Wall. After the departure of the legions in the early fifth century, the wall was used as a source of building material by just about everyone in the north of England. It was not until the 19th Century when the historical significance of the wall was recognized and large stretches of it were preserved. Hadrian’s Wall is now a world historical site and hiking and picnicking along the wall is a popular pastime. There are also several sites of interest along the wall that can be visited, from west to east.

Tullie House Museum

The Tullie House Museum is located in the town of Carlisle. It is a complex of buildings centering around the 17th Century home of the Tullie family. Numerous artifacts and displays bring the history of the area to life. Subjects include the natural history of the area, the railroads, Jacobites, Border Reivers and, of course, the Roman city of Luguvalium (modern Carlisle) and Hadrian's Wall. There are finds from along the local stretch of the wall and its related forts, as well as Roman Carlisle, which quickly grew into a flourishing town due to the local military presence. Particularly notable are a good collection of fine Roman sculptures.