Description

This monument comprises a section of the Antonine Wall which runs through Callendar Park in Falkirk, from Kemper Avenue in the west, to the railway line by the A803 Mary Street roundabout in the east.

This proposal forms part of a programme which is intended to review and update the scheduling of the entire Antonine Wall, and combines two original scheduled areas into a single new one.

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 and upcast mound are clearly visible for much of the length of this section, and even where the line has been flattened out, substantial traces are likely to remain below ground level.

At the far western end, excavations in advance of the Kemper Avenue car park found that the rampart of the wall was well preserved, but also found remains of a building with a heating system immediately to the south of the rampart. The building's precise function is uncertain but it is thought to be more likely to be a traveller's mansio (the Roman equivalent of a coaching inn or guesthouse) than a military bathhouse.

Excavations to the east of this section, in advance of construction of the Callendar Business Park found traces of further features to the rear of the rampart, some contemporary with the Roman military occupation, and some, such as a timber hall dating to the tenth century AD, relating to post-Roman occupation on the site. Defensive pits have been located by excavation in several locations along the berm of the frontier; these are similar to the defensive pits found at Rough Castle.

A raised causeway running parallel to the ditch along part of the scheduled length is often thought to be the rampart, but is in fact an estate road. The scheduled area, which is marked in red on the attached map, is in four parts: the first runs from the southernmost end of the car park in Kemper Avenue to the western edge of Estate Avenue. The second runs from the eastern edge of Estate Avenue to the north of the tower blocks on Seaton Place to the western edge of the original northern approach avenue to Callendar House.

The third part runs eastwards from the eastern side of the avenue and immediately to the north of Callendar Business Park, ending at the access road for the Business Park. The fourth part runs from the eastern side of the access road, slightly north of east, ending at the railway line. The scheduled area is designed to protect an area at least 25m north of the north lip of the ditch, and 20m south of the southern edge of the rampart, except where modern development has removed archaeological deposits (such as the Business Park).

The scheduled area is extended 40m to the south of the rampart at the western end of this section, at the Kemper Avenue car park, to protect the area where the building with the hypocaust was found. A modern path cuts across the line of the Wall from Seaton Place to Callendar Road; the top 50cm of the path including the paved surface is excluded from the scheduling to allow routine maintenance to take place without the requirement for written consent.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a major Roman frontier system which has the potential to increase considerably our understanding of Roman frontier policy and military organisation. The Antonine Wall is also the most substantial and important Roman monument in Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

Source: Historic Environment Scotland