The Antonine Wall

The Antonine Wall is a significant historical site, offering visitors a glimpse into Roman history and the frontier defenses of the Roman Empire. The remaining visible sections of the wall provide insight into the impressive engineering and military strategies employed by the Romans.

Built by the Romans around AD142, as the north west frontier of their Empire, the wall is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

By far the biggest engineering project ever undertaken in the area, the Antonine Wall snaked right across the country for 37 miles from the River Clyde to the River Forth.  It took no notice of earlier native settlements, and cut through pre-existing tribal boundaries.

Unlike its stone-built southern neighbour, Hadrian’s Wall, the rampart of the Antonine Wall was constructed mostly out of layers of turf and reached a height of 3 m. Not just a wall, the defences also included a huge ditch, nearly 5 m deep in places, which ran to the north of the Wall and an outer mound constructed from the earth thrown out of the ditch. Seventeen forts plus additional ‘fortlets’ accommodated the 6,000-7,000 men stationed along the Wall. The military way, a service road built to the south of the Wall was another important element, enabling troops to move swiftly along its course, bearing supplies, commands and news.

Although the Antonine Wall was not built of stone, its impact on the landscape was immense.  Substantial lengths of the Antonine Wall can still be seen at various sites across the Falkirk area including: Rough Castle (one of the best preserved Roman forts), Polmont Wood, Kinneil Fortlet in Kinneil Estate, Callendar Park, Tamfourhill in Camelon and Seabegs Wood.