The Hadrian’s Wall Community Archeology Project (WallCAP) was launched in 2019. The project relies on trained community volunteers to preserve an iconic North East landmark and the largest Roman Archaeological feature in Britain. The ancient wall, built to defend England from the people of Scotland during the Roman times, is one of the only 32 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK.
One of the most recent projects involved a team of 50 local volunteers and Newcastle University archaeology students who carried out excavation work at Corbridge Roman Town. They uncovered a Roman street surface, possible building remains and many fragments of Roman pottery, which will be used to get a better understanding of life in the area about 2000 years ago.
Together, we can conserve a vital part of our heritage and ensure that it can be enjoyed by future generations of local communities and visitors for many more years to come.
Rob Collins, WallCAP Manager
The project’s manager and Newcastle University archaeology lecturer, Dr. Rob Collins, said: “January 24 marks the birthday of Emperor Hadrian so it seems fitting that we celebrate this by applauding the excellent work of the WallCAP volunteers. Thanks to their efforts, we are gaining a much better understanding of the Wall and are in a much better position to ensure its survival.
Together, we can conserve a vital part of our heritage and ensure that it can be enjoyed by future generations of local communities and visitors for many more years to come.”
The 3-year project has lots of exciting activities planned for 2020 and 2021. If anyone is interested in volunteering for the WallCAP project, they can register at wallcap@ncl.ac.uk.
There will be a Hadrian’s Wall networking event on 22 February where individuals can discover more about future projects across the site and meet people from organisations involved.
For more informatin about the networking event, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hadrians-wall-networking-day-2020-tickets-86493673907.