Milecastle 27, milecastle on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, England, UK
Milecastle 27 is a small Roman fortified station on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland that once served as a checkpoint and watchtower along the empire's frontier. Today only low earthen remains are visible, forming a faint rectangular platform covered by grass and soil where thick stone walls once stood.
The structure was built around 122 AD when Romans constructed the frontier wall to secure and monitor their territory in Britain. A small garrison of roughly 30 to 50 soldiers monitored movement along the border and communicated with neighboring posts through signal systems.
The name refers to its function as a waypoint spaced one Roman mile apart along the frontier, marking a point where soldiers could rest and watch the land. Today you can walk past the slight earthen platform and sense where Roman troops once stood guard over this border territory.
The site sits in open pastureland and is difficult to spot since only faint earthen mounds rise slightly above the grass. To view the remains you will need permission to enter private land, or visit the nearby Chesters Roman Fort where related structures and information are available.
A nearby small watchtower called Turret 27A was buried beneath the foundations of Chesters Roman Fort, but its remains can still be seen under the fort's walls. This shows how later larger structures were built over the original positions while preserving evidence for archaeologists to find.
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