Milecastle 53 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milecastle 53 |
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Hadrian's Wall at Hare Hill, just west of the site of Milecastle 53
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 Location in Cumbria
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| Type | Milecastle |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 54°58′27″N 2°40′53″W / 54.974146°N 2.681336°W |
| County | Cumbria |
| Country | England |
Milecastle 53 (Banks Burn) was a small fort, called a milecastle, built by the Romans. It was part of Hadrian's Wall, a huge stone barrier that stretched across northern England. These milecastles were like mini-forts placed every Roman mile along the wall.
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Where is Milecastle 53 Located?
Milecastle 53 is found in Cumbria, England. It's located west of a small village called Banks, Cumbria. You can also find it northeast of Lanercost Priory, which is an old religious building.
This milecastle was built between Milecastle 52 and Milecastle 54. Today, there isn't much left to see of Milecastle 53. However, a tall part of Hadrian's Wall, about 2.7 metres high, stands just 80 metres to its west at a place called Hare Hill.
Uncovering Milecastle 53: What We Found
Archaeologists, who are like history detectives, dug up Milecastle 53 in 1932. This process is called an excavation. They found that the milecastle was about 21.9 metres wide and 23.3 metres long. It had special entrances known as Type III gateways.
During the dig, they discovered that most of the stone from the milecastle had been taken away over time. This means people likely "robbed" the stones to use for other buildings. Because of this, the original floor was gone, and no inside buildings remained. However, some parts of an even older wall, called the Turf Wall, were found in the northeast and south sections.
Turrets Connected to Milecastle 53
Every milecastle along Hadrian's Wall had two smaller lookout towers, called turrets, connected to it. These turrets were usually 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 53 are known as Turret 53A and Turret 53B.
Turret 53A (Hare Hill)
Turret 53A is located at Hare Hill. Today, it looks like a small, raised area of earth. This turret was first found in 1854 or 1855. When it was excavated in 1932, archaeologists found that the inside was filled with ashes.
Turret 53B (Craggle Hill)
Turret 53B, also known as Craggle Hill, also appears as a small earthwork platform today. It was also excavated in 1932. This turret is special because it was the most eastern structure on Hadrian's Wall to be built using red sandstone.
