Chip shop site yields secrets of Roman Wall

A two-metre section of the Wall was uncovered during council construction work in the Byker area of Newcastle.

Historians, who had overseen the construction work, had thought part of the Roman wall may be found during the dig, but said that what they eventually found exceeded all expectations and was of international importance.

As well as the section of the wall found at Shields Road in Byker was a trench thought to contain evidence of settlements that may even pre-date the Roman occupation. Archaeologists are now planning a major excavation of the site.

The discovery was made during construction work laying the foundations for a swimming pool, leisure complex and £1m public square.

Previously, a fish and chip shop and betting shop stood in the area. A spokesman for Newcastle City Council confirmed that the remains of the wall would be incorporated into the design of the square.

The route the wall took had previously been recorded by antiquarian William Stukely in 1725. Yesterday, Tyne and Wear county archaeologist David Heslop said the discovery may help historians discover more details about what else was actually there.

He said: "One thing we've discovered already is a number of pits between the trench and the wall itself. We think that trees would have been grown there and sharpened on the top to make stakes that would have added to the fortifications.

"We already have evidence of earlier settlements in the area which pre-date Roman times. This site might help us find out more."

Archaeologist for Tyne and Wear museums Jonathan McKelvey said the discovery at the World Heritage site was of international importance.

Work on Hadrian's Wall started in AD 122 and it took six years to build. The wall marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire after the Roman withdrawal from Scotland. It is 73 miles long, running from Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria to Wallsend in Newcastle