Anything in the landscape that is nearly 2,000 years old should be managed with care. If it is also a World Heritage Site over 100 miles long, and extends into eight Local Authority areas and two National Parks, then this situation can become quite complicated. The remains of Hadrian’s Wall run through a wide variety of townscape and countryside, from urban Tyneside to the upland pastures of the central sector, and the marshes and sand dunes of the Cumbrian coast. Some stretches lie in arable land, and other areas are primarily managed for sheep, or cattle, or visitors. All of these differences have consequences for the monument’s survival, sustainability, and how it is cared for.
Effective management depends on having access to good archaeological records – how well features survive, the information that they can provide, and how significant each element is. These records come from centuries of observation, excavation, and analysis, supplemented during the last 30 years by detailed field survey, geophysics, aerial photography, and LiDAR. The current state of knowledge is summarised at http://www.pastscape.org.uk and depicted on the English Heritage Archaeological Map of Hadrian’s Wall (2nd edition, 2014).
Despite this wealth of information, there are still areas about which little is known, particularly in Newcastle and on the Solway’s marshy shores. It is difficult to manage what you do not know. Only a tiny percentage has been excavated, far less is displayed. The short lengths of the Wall that have been consolidated are mostly within the 20 miles of the central sector between Chesters and Birdoswald. These are fairly robust, but the earthwork remains – including the ditch and the upcast mound to the north of the Wall, the Vallum, and the temporary camps – need more gentle care.
