Milecastle 22

About

Milecastle 22 (Portgate) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a low, turf covered platform just east of the Portgate roundabout (junction of the A68 and B6318). The platform is 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) on the east side, reducing to only a parch mark on the west side.

Construction: Milecastle 22 was assumed to be a long-axis milecastle, and had Type III gateways (only the north gateway has been identified). Such milecastles were thought to have been constructed by the legio VI Victrix who were based in Eboracum (York). The milecastle was 16.76 metres (55.0 ft) across, but due to the location, the length of the other axis cannot be determined. It was constructed with Narrow Walls with a Standard B offset. Some time soon after construction of the milecastle, the north gateway was blocked by construction of a wall about 1 metre (3.3 ft) thick. It has been suggested that this is due to the proximity of the Portgate, rendering the milecastle redundant as a means of passage through the wall. The curtain wall at this location was 3.05 metres (10.0 ft) wide.

Excavations and investigations: 1930 – Excavation showed that the side walls were 8 feet (2.4 m...