Milecastle 37 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milecastle 37 |
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Remains of Milecastle 37
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 Location in Northumberland
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| Type | Milecastle |
| Place in the Roman world | |
| Province | Britannia |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 55°00′44″N 2°20′16″W / 55.01234°N 2.337652°W |
| County | Northumberland |
| Country | England |
Milecastle 37 is a small Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall. It is located right next to the famous Housesteads Roman Fort. Milecastles were like mini-forts built all along the wall, usually about one Roman mile apart. They helped the Roman soldiers guard the border.
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Exploring Milecastle 37
Today, you can still see parts of Milecastle 37. It has been partly rebuilt and is looked after by English Heritage. The inside walls are up to 2.2 meters (about 7 feet) tall.
This milecastle had a special type of gate, called a Type I gateway. Inside, you can also find the remains of a small building. This was likely a barrack block where Roman soldiers would have lived. These remains are still about 1.0 meter (3 feet) high.
Discovering the Past: Excavations
People have been digging at Milecastle 37 for a long time. The first excavations happened in 1853, 1907, and 1933. During these digs, some interesting things were found.
In 1853, a piece of a stone slab was discovered. It was from the time of Emperor Hadrian, who built the wall. Also, two altars were found near the milecastle. These altars were special stones used for religious offerings. They were dedicated to Roman gods named Cocidius and Jupiter.
Later excavations in 1988 and 1989 showed more about the milecastle's north gate. It looked like the gate was built, then blocked up, and later partly taken down. This tells us that the Romans changed the milecastle over time.
Nearby Watchtowers: Turrets
Every milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two smaller watchtowers, called turrets. 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 have guarded these turrets. The two turrets connected to Milecastle 37 are called Turret 37A and Turret 37B.
Turret 37A (Rapishaw Gap)
Turret 37A was found in 1911 by digging. It seems this turret was taken down by the Romans themselves a long time ago. Today, you can only see a small bump in the ground from the air where it used to be.
Turret 37B (Hotbank Crag)
Turret 37B was also found in 1911. You can see where it was because there is a small, raised area of earth with stones in it.
Visiting Milecastle 37
You can visit Milecastle 37 and the places where the turrets were. They are all along the Hadrian's Wall Path. This is a walking trail that follows the famous Roman wall.
