Milecastle 52 (Bankshead) was a

milecastle A milecastle was a small fort (fortlet), a rectangular fortification built during the period of the Roman Empire. They were placed at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along several major frontiers, for example Hadrian's Wall in Great Bri ...

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

().

Description

Milecastle 52 is west of Birdoswald fort. It lies 1484 metres west of

Milecastle 51 Milecastle 51 (Wall Bowers) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (). Description Milecastle 51 is west of Birdoswald fort (), at the point where the Stone Wall rejoins the line of the Turf Wall.F. Gerald Simpson and I. A. Richmond, "The Turf Wall ...

and 1520 metres east of

Milecastle 53 Milecastle 53 (Banks Burn) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (). Description Milecastle 53 is west of the hamlet of Banks, Cumbria and northeast of Lanercost Priory. It lies 1520 metres west of Milecastle 52 and 1436 metres east of Milecastl ...

. The site is occupied by Bankshead House and garden.MILECASTLE 52
Pastscape, retrieved 4 December 2013 There is no trace of the milecastle visible.

Excavations

Milecastle 52 was excavated in 1934. Although not now visible, excavation showed that it measures 27.5 m east to west by 23.4 m north to south and that it has Type III gateways. The stone milecastle replaced its underlying predecessor, Milecastle 52TW on the Turf Wall. In 1808 two altars to the local deity

Cocidius In Romano-British religion, Cocidius was a deity worshipped in northern Britain. The Romans equated him with Mars, god of war and hunting, and also with Silvanus, god of forests, groves and wild fields. Like Belatucadros, he was probably worshippe ...

were discovered here. One of the altars was dedicated by soldiers of the Twentieth Legion in the years 262-6. In 1862 a broken slab was found with the name of

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

Associated turrets

Each milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two associated

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

structures. These turrets were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a

Roman mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 Engli ...

to the west of the Milecastle, and would probably have been manned by part of the milecastle's garrison. The turrets associated with Milecastle 52 are known as Turret 52A and Turret 52B.

Turret 52A

Turret 52A (Banks East) () is situated by the road east of

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

village.BANKS EAST TURRET
Pastscape, retrieved 4 December 2013 Excavations in 1933 uncovered remains of the demolished Turf Wall abutting the turret's east wall. The turret was in use from around the early 2nd century until at least the end of the 3rd century. The entrance is on the southeast side, and traces of two hearths and a low bench along the north west wall. The walls have been consolidated and restored, and stand to a maximum height of 1.75 metres. The turret was the first section of Hadrian's Wall to be placed in the guardianship of the Ancient Monuments department in 1934.

Turret 52B

Turret 52B () has never been located.TURRET 52B
Pastscape, retrieved 4 December 2013 Its position has been estimated in relation to Turret 52A and Milecastle 53. It may lie beneath the modern road.

Pike Hill Signal Tower

Pike Hill Tower on Hadrian's Wall - geograph

The remains of Pike Hill Signal Tower are situated 170 metres east of Turret 52A. The greater part of the signal tower has been destroyed by the modern road, but a fragment of its southeast wall, 2 metres long and 0.8 metres wide, is south of the road.PIKE HILL SIGNAL TOWER
Pastscape, retrieved 4 December 2013 The signal tower is of interest because it predates Hadrian's Wall, which was later built around it. The tower remains are at an angle of 45° to the wall. The very deep foundations of the tower suggest it had extra height for signalling purposes.

References

External links

Banks East Turret
English Heritage
Pike Hill Signal Tower
English Heritage {{Roman visitor sites in the UK 52 Roman sites in Cumbria