Milecastle 25 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Milecastle 25
Northumberland, England, UK
The site of Milecastle 25
Milecastle 25 Location in Northumberland
Coordinates	55°01′09″N 2°05′10″W / 55.019177°N 2.086113°W / 55.019177; -2.086113

Milecastle 25 (Codlawhill) was a small fort built by the Roman army. It was part of Hadrian's Wall, a huge stone wall that stretched across northern England. The Romans built this wall to protect their land from invaders. Milecastle 25 is located in Northumberland, England. Today, you can still see its remains as a low, grassy mound, about 1 meter (3 feet) high. It is found nearly 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of the A68 road.

Building Milecastle 25

Milecastle 25 was built with its longer side facing north to south. This is known as a long-axis milecastle. We don't know what kind of gates it had. Experts believe that soldiers from the Legio VI Victrix built this milecastle. This Roman legion was based in a city called Eboracum (modern-day York).

The milecastle was about 15.24 meters (50 feet) wide. Its east and west walls were quite thick, just like the main Hadrian's Wall in this area. The northern part of the milecastle, including its gate and wall, is now hidden beneath the modern road.

There might have been a ditch around the south side of the milecastle. However, there are no clear signs of a special path leading from the main Roman road (called the Military Way) to the milecastle.

Finding Out More: Investigations

People have studied Milecastle 25 over the years to learn more about it.

Early Discoveries

• 1930: Researchers found the exact spot where Milecastle 25 was located. Excavations by T. Hepple helped figure out how thick the side walls were.
• 1946: The Royal Air Force (RAF) took an aerial photograph of the site. This helped show the layout from above.

Later Studies

• 1966: English Heritage did a field investigation. They noted that the remains were a low, grassy area that had been disturbed over time. They also saw faint signs of a ditch on its south side.

Nearby Watchtowers: Turrets

Every milecastle along Hadrian's Wall had two smaller watchtowers, called turrets, connected to it. These turrets were placed about one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of the milecastle. Soldiers from the milecastle would likely have guarded these turrets. The two turrets linked to Milecastle 25 are known as Turret 25A and Turret 25B.

Turret 25A (Hill Head)

Turret 25A is probably located just east of Hill Head Farm. It was first found in 1930. However, when people tried to dig there again in 1959, they couldn't find it. They dug a trench 3 meters (10 feet) square and 1.2 meters (4 feet) deep. They thought that a pile of large stones found earlier might have been mistaken for the turret's wall.

• Location: 55°01′10″N 2°05′40″W / 55.019530°N 2.094450°W / 55.019530; -2.094450 (Turret 25A)

St Oswald's Church, Heavenfield

Turret 25B (St Oswald's)

Turret 25B is located southwest of St Oswald's Church at Heavenfield. There are no visible remains of it today. It was first dug up in 1930 to find its location. Back then, three or four layers of its south wall were found.

More digging happened in 1959. This showed that the inside of the turret was about 3.45 meters (11 feet) from north to south and 4.16 meters (13.6 feet) from east to west. The north wall was thick, about 1.6 meters (5 feet), while the other walls were about 0.91 meters (3 feet) thick.

This turret's building style suggests it was built by the Legio XX Valeria Victrix. However, there was no sign that it was used after the time of Emperor Antoninus Pius. Many pieces of pottery from jugs (called flagons) and storage jars (called amphoras) were found. Five gaming pieces were also found outside the northwest corner. This might mean there was a window in the west wall. Other items like copper and iron objects, including an arrowhead, were also discovered.

The walls of Turret 25B were built using mortar. The floor was made of clay mixed with mortar. A special area in the southwest corner was marked off with large stones for working, and it had a fireplace that was rebuilt twice. Later, a platform was added against the south wall. A path led away from the turret, with signs of a wall on its left side.

• Location: 55°01′11″N 2°06′07″W / 55.019641°N 2.101832°W / 55.019641; -2.101832 (Turret 25B)