Aesica

Aesica stands on a gentle rise 2.4 kilometres north of Haltwhistle in Northumberland. It was the ninth fort built along Hadrian’s Wall, placed between Housesteads six kilometres to the east and Birdoswald six and a half kilometres to the west. The fort guarded the Caw Gap where the Haltwhistle Burn crosses the Wall, a strategic crossing point. Its original name, Æsica, may come from the Celtic god Æsus, linked with water and river systems. The fort’s position allowed it to control the flow of people and goods along the Wall. The fort was completed in 128 AD, later than most others because it was added after Milecastle 43 was built where the fort’s northwest corner would stand. It measured 108 metres north to south and 128 metres east to west, covering just three acres. Three main gates faced south, east and west, each with double portals and towers, though the west gate was later blocked up. The fort’s foundations show that Hadrian’s Wall was rebuilt here after the fort was started, using the later wall as its northern boundary. Visitors today walk among the low stone outlines of the fort’s walls and gates. A branch of the Roman Stanegate road enters through the south gate and crosses the Vallum south of the fort. To the south and east lie the remains of the civilian settlement that grew up around the fort. A bathhouse found 100 metres away has rooms for dressing, bathing in cold water, dry heat and steam, with a latrine attached. The site also preserves traces of the remarkable six-kilometre aqueduct that once brought water from the Caw Burn into the fort.