Roman Britain, Part II
I successfully made it to Newcastle and Segedunum (aka “Walls-end”) on Thursday, 02 August. Unfortunately, the Roman fort at Segedunum was an extreme anti-climax. It simply cannot compare to the ruins at Chesters or Corbridge. 
There were no stones left, only outlines made in gravel and wood showing where the walls of the fort and its buildings used to be. Worse, Segedunum is located in the heart of a heavily industrial area, literally a stone’s throw from the Swan shipyards.
Fortunately, the Museum of Antiquities was more than enough to compensate for the let-down at Wallsend. Segedunum may have the more fancy, city-style exhibits with interactive screens and endlessly-looping video, but the Museum of Antiquities had far more artifacts, not to mention a diorama of the entire length of Hadrian’s Wall, from Bowness-on-Solway to modern-day Newcastle, showing how it may have appeared during its hey-day.
The case for the diorama formed the spine of the museum displays, and I could not help but marvel at the immensity of the Wall while reminiscing about the terrain I saw while exploring it and its surrounding areas. And, like Chesters and Corbridge, the Museum of Antiquities has an incredibly diverse collection of stonework, from altars to dedication stones to grave stones and more. Truly impressive!
There is something about small museums that appeals to me much more than the interactive glitz of the city-style exhibits. Perhaps it is as simple as preferring content over presentation. Or maybe it is the retro charm of simple glass cases and hand-lettered description cards. The smaller museums seem to have more class than their modern, technicolor competitors. Or maybe I’m just a fuddy-duddy with old fashioned tastes.
Regardless, my favorite museums from along the Wall are Chesters and Corbridge. Both were filled with a diverse variety of artifacts, including stonework and Samian-ware, and both gave a much more complete picture of having been a living facility than any of the others, including Vindolanda. I’ll grant that Vindolanda remains hugely important because of the continuing excavations going on there, but Corbridge and Chesters were more satisfying to me as places where Roman Britain was tangible and accessible.
I was surprised at how eager I was to leave Newcastle. Yes, I hoisted a pint of Newcastle while in Newcastle, but aside from that I found little of interest there. After the stark beauty of Cumberland and the wilds along the Wall, Newcastle was dirty and crass by comparison. In recent centuries Newcastle has drawn its strength from industry, first through coal and later through ship building, and it remains a blue-collar kind of town even though those industries have died out. Its people are friendly, hard-working folk, to be sure, but the noise and grime jangled my nerves after the wind-blown fields and rocky crags that stretch westward from Wallsend.
More later…
B
August 14th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Again, a lovely piece. I loved it, being an ancient Roman Brit myself and never having seen Hadrian’s Wall. Of course we learned all about it in grammar school.
Incidentally, my brother was on the excavations at St. Alban’s Abbey in 1937 when they unearthed some wonderful mosaic floors. That’s when I began to appreciate the Roman influence in the country. I was 10.
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I don’t know if I’m allowed to respond, but as you know, Bronwen, I arranged your walk along Hadrian’s Wall Path. We were really interested to track your progress along the Wall (aided by Janet Walker of Walkers Bags who met you a couple of times!) So glad the blisters did not prove terminal.
Your comments on the relative merits of the Roman museums/sites are very insightful. However, you are a bit scathing of Segedunum; I understand the reconstructed Bath House at Segedunum is really worth a visit. Did you get to see that?
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Hello Lesley,
You are *always* allowed to respond. Without you and your efforts my journey across your country would not have been possible.
As it happens, I did get a chance to visit the Bath House. The problem with Segedunum in general was that by the time I arrived there I had already seen the recreations at Vindolanda, not to mention the superb ruins elsewhere along the Wall. I don’t expect, however, that I am a typical audience for this sort of thing. I tend to value things a bit differently than most.
Janet was lovely, as were all the people at the assorted B&Bs. If you like I can write up and send along a detailed “review”. Just let me know.
B