Description

This monument is a section of the Antonine Wall which runs from Wyndford Road to Castlecary, where the line of the Wall is cut by a railway line.

This proposal forms part of a programme which is intended to update the scheduling of the Antonine Wall, and extends the protected area along this part of the line of the Wall. Part of the area is in the Guardianship of the Secretary of State for Scotland.

The Antonine Wall at this location consists of the rampart, the ditch, the berm (area between rampart and ditch), the upcast mound and the Military Way. The ditch is well-preserved through this section, and although the upcast mound and the rampart have been largely flattened, it is probable that substantial remains of the frontier system survive along this length. Aerial photography and excavation have revealed other Roman military installations in the area including parts of two camps and a structure which may have been a signal tower. Only one of the camps (Garnhall 2) probably relates to the construction of the Wall and may have been used for housing troops while the Wall was being built. The NW corner of this camp lies in the SW corner of the scheduled area, in the field behind the Castlecary Hotel; the rest of the camp has been built over. The second camp known in the area lies in the western half of the scheduled area. The SW corner of the camp is clear from aerial photographs and trial trenching, but its full extent and its relationship with the Antonine Wall is still not clear; the camp may be later than the Wall. The structure identified as a possible signal station lies between the Antonine Wall and the Military Way at the western end of the scheduled area where the Military Way makes a sudden angle for no apparent reason. The signal station remains consisted of a clay platform with several substantial post-holes which presumably had supported a wooden platform 3.8 by 4m. The platform was surrounded by a circular ditch about 27m in diameter. Similar structures are known from other Roman frontier systems, but this is the first example to be found on the Antonine Wall.

The area to be scheduled measures a maximum of 740m WSW-ENE by a maximum of 210m NNW-SSE, to include the wall, ditch, upcast mound, camps and areas around these where traces of activities associated with the construction and use of the monument may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map extract. The N edge of the scheduled area extends 25m beyond the N lip of the Antonine Wall ditch.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
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Historic Environment Scotland Properties
Antonine Wall - Garnhall
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/antonine-wall-castlecary
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland