Segedunum / Wallsend Roman Fort

Segedunum, or Wallsend Roman Fort, Museum and Hadrians Wall is the most easterly part of the wall. It is situated on the north end of Newcastle at the suburb of Wallsend, about 5 miles north of the city centre, an area known for shipbuilding since the early 1900s.

Segedunum is one of the main forts built alongside Hadrian’s Wall, the wall built from 122 AD - 128 AD for Emperor Hadrian who lived 76 AD - 138 AD.

The image below is of the Segedunum site at Wallsend from the 9 story high observation tower.

The tower also looks over the Wallsend Shipbuilding site named Swan Hunter, that once built some of the most famous ships in the early 1900s, such as the liner Mauretania, aircraft carrier Ark Royal, battleship King George V, and some huge oil tankers. Ship building in the area is now being run down and replaced by flats and business offices. All ships built at Sawn Hunter at wiki/Swan_Hunter

The Roman fort at Wallsend was built for ships to transport men and goods to the wall, becoming one of the busiest ports in England at the time.

Wallsend Road Map

The image below is looking across the Wallsend Roman Fort remains towards the Observation Tower and Museum below.

This area was turned into a coal mining village in the 1700s, with houses built on top of the Roman remains. Excavations in 1929 found the outline of the fort.

The terraced houses were demolished in the 1970s, allowing the site to be extensivly excavated. The tower, musem, and bath house were completed in June of 2000, then opened to the public as a major tourist attraction.

The image below is of the Roman Bath House at Wallsend built as a replica of the Bath House at Chesters Roman Fort 30 miles west. The bath house at Chesters is now only remains, although some of the best preserved ramains along the wall.

The image below is of the original Roman Wall remains, and of a section of wall built in the 1990s to show what Hadrian's Wall would have been like when complete.

This part of the site is situated across the main road from the main site, about a 50 yard walk.

The image below is of the Wallsend Roam Museum. The museum is fairly large with a good selection of artifacts and maps showing the route of the wall across the country.

There is also a good sized cafe in the museum.

If you are starting out from Wallsend, there are another 5 main forts along the route to visit, all with their own interesting features.

Driving, next along the route is the Corbridge Roman Town by the small town of Corbridge, about 23 miles west.

Walking, the first section of the Hadrian's Wall path runs from Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall 16 miles west.

Wallsend Official Website

Wallsend to Corbridge Map

Corbridge Page

Newcastle Section