iqi4-T-9 1 5-] Hadrian's Wall. 137 



must proceed twenty miles out of Newcastle, on the westward 

 road, before we come to any appreciable remains. The line 

 of the wall can be readily followed ; the modern road is 

 actually upon it, and when the road metal is badly worn and 

 the rain has washed away the dust, the foundation-stones of 

 the wall can actually be seen in the roadway. 



One's first sight of any much-desired object is always 

 interesting, and I well remember the interest with which, 

 looking into a field by the roadside, we saw a long swelling 

 in the turf, terminating in a bit of wall. 



Here we may appreciate, more fully than in the piece at 

 Wallsend, the structure of the wall, and how its stones may 

 be recognised wherever met with — and in Northumberland one 

 meets them in strange places. 



Looking at the south or inside aspect of the wall we can 

 see the regular nature of the courses and the peculiar size of 

 the stones. The Eomans could use stones of all shapes and 

 sizes for their purposes, but the stones of the wall are invari- 

 ably of one particular size, about 8 or 9 inches deep by 11 or 

 12 inches long, going back into the substance of the wall 

 about 20 inches with a wedge shape. This portion stands 

 about 4 or 5 feet high and is 7| feet broad. The interior is 

 formed of rubble. The construction was carried out in this 

 manner : The ground having been excavated and levelled so 

 as to form a shallow trench of the desired width, a foundation 

 course of broad thin slabs was laid down, and upon this the 

 outer courses were carefully built up for three or four feet 

 and as carefully pointed. Into the interior space thus formed 

 there was then poured a large quantity of liquid mortar, then 

 stones of all shapes and sizes were thrown into this until the 

 interior was raised to the height of the built sides. This was 

 allowed to harden, then the sides were again carefully built up 

 for a further space and the process of filling in repeated until 

 the desired height of the wall was attained. Thus, when 

 completed, the wall was a solid mass of concrete, faced ex- 

 ternally by carefully built masonary, equally fitted to resist 

 the attack of an enemy or the ravages of time. 



From this point the wall plunges precipitately downhill 

 to the crossing of the North Tyne, and here the line of the 

 wall is some slight distance to the south of the road, for the 



