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Hi there

I’ve just finished a series of MOCs about the life of a Milecastle on Hadrian’s Wall and thought I’d share it with you.

For those who don’t know, Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain built between AD 122 and AD 126, during the rule of the eponymous Emperor. It stretched some 120km between the Solway Firth in the west to the Tyne Estuary east. Along it were placed Milecastles, located at regular intervals of one Roman Mile (approx. 1.5km). Barracks and facilities for cooking and storage were provided at each, with the garrisons varying in number, up to a maximum of 64 troops.

The wall was built by the three legions stationed in Britain at the time – the II Augusta, the VI Victrix and the XX Valeria Victrix. Work commenced with the construction of the wall’s Milecastles and turrets (two between each Milecastle). The wall itself was then built between the Milecastles and turrets joining them together. The wall was also enclosed by a V-shaped ditch to the north and another ditch and attendant earthworks to the south; the latter feature being known as the Vallum.

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Though Hadrian’s Wall was built by the legions, it was manned by auxiliaries. These included cavalry and all types of light infantry. Auxillia were originally formed from frontier populations to fight in their homelands using their local knowledge. However, following events such as the Revolt of the Batavi in AD 69, they were relocated to other parts of the Empire. Consequently, Hadrian’s Wall found itself garrisoned by Batavian and Tungrian Cohorts amongst others.

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The final scene depicts the events of AD 180 when Caledonian tribes crossed Hadrian’s Wall, overwhelming its garrisons and killing their commanding officer or governor (possibly Caerellius Oriscus). The tribes proceeded to enter the Province of Britannia in what Cassius Dio described as the most serious war of the Emperor Commodus’ reign. In response Commodus dispatched the province’s former governor Ulpius Marcellus to repel the invaders. According to Dio, control was not fully regained until AD184, though archaeological evidence suggests trouble continued until at least 186/7.

Marcellus conducted his own invasion into Caledonia and is thought to have reoccupied the Antonine Wall, which runs between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, for a short period. He was ultimately forced back to Hadrian’s Wall however, hampered by the mutinous British Legions, who would later put forward their own usurper to the imperial throne.

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The wall would remain occupied by Roman troops until their withdrawal from Britain in around AD 410. In time the wall fell into ruin and over the centuries the stone was reused in other local buildings.

In 1987 the remains of the wall were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and in 2005 it became part of the transnational "Frontiers of the Roman Empire" World Heritage Site, which also includes sites in Germany.

Many thanks for viewing; constructive criticism welcome :wink:

Cheers!

MW

Edit: a full set of photos can now be found on Mocpages and Flickr.

Edited by Macsen Wledig

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Amazing!!!! Not only did I learn a lot but I also really enjoy the building. It is amazing how we can see such a perfect evolution. You have also taken some amazing pictures.

Truly fantastic building!

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I absolutely love builds that show an evolution of the building like this. So much detail! I really like the way that you cut the side of the walls off. But what's that chicken doing on top of the chimney? :grin:

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Having walked Hadrians Wall from Newcastle to Carlisle a couple of years back and spent a considerable amount of time looking over the ruins of the milecastles I can say that the MOCs are historically, even down to the placement of the interior buildings and steps up onto the wall. I'd love to know if it was modeled on a particular milecastle.

A truly wonderful series of MOC capturing a very interesitng piece of history. Perhaps one of the remote posts where the wall skims the top of Hardcastle Crags next?

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Really awesome MOCs!

My only advice would be on the tiles on the walls. I think they stand out a little too much...

Oh and why are all those romans bare-assed?? :laugh:

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Really nice builds. It's cool to see see a build from "start to finish". I like the the round corners at the back of the castle. I might have to use that idea sometime, if that's ok. :classic:

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Incredible MW, thank you so much for sharing this! I too have walked part of Hadrian's Wall and now I feel like I've seen it at its prime!

You've done an incredible job recreating the construction and eventual destruction of this milecastle. I have to say the construction MOC is in particular very striking, considering the beautiful scaffolding and the amazing way you recreated the construction process (with a couple of nobles sitting idly by watching the work over a glass of wine :laugh: ).

You did a wonderful job with the finished product, the buildings are incredibly realistic looking. Your castle design is simple but very elegant looking. The stone walkway is just plain gorgeous too!

Wow, I could go on and on about this one. Absolutely perfect! I hope this gets all the recognition it deserves! :classic:

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Fantastic builds! I really like the rounded corners. The detail for different seasons is great, and the scaffolding is really neat. The white tiles on the wall for snow was a bit distracting though. Thanks for sharing this as I have never had the chance to go in person. :(

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Hey you got some amazing mocs there.. Lovely details, beautifuly made... And great photography!

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I was born and raised within a mile or two of the wall and it's been a real pleasure looking at these MOCs - they are superb representations of what it looked like. Congratulations on such an awesome build and thanks for sharing it with us.

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Amazing!!!! Not only did I learn a lot but I also really enjoy the building. It is amazing how we can see such a perfect evolution. You have also taken some amazing pictures.

Truly fantastic building!

Thanks very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I absolutely love builds that show an evolution of the building like this. So much detail! I really like the way that you cut the side of the walls off. But what's that chicken doing on top of the chimney? :grin:

Thank you - you really can't trust chickens.

Having walked Hadrians Wall from Newcastle to Carlisle a couple of years back and spent a considerable amount of time looking over the ruins of the milecastles I can say that the MOCs are historically, even down to the placement of the interior buildings and steps up onto the wall. I'd love to know if it was modeled on a particular milecastle.

A truly wonderful series of MOC capturing a very interesitng piece of history. Perhaps one of the remote posts where the wall skims the top of Hardcastle Crags next?

Thank you very much, one of my aims when building this was to make it as historically accurate as possible. It's not based on any milecastle in particular, but I used the illustrations of Ronald Embleton and Peter Connolly as guides; their books really are excellent. And a remote turret or watchtower is definitely a future project :classic:

Really awesome MOCs!

My only advice would be on the tiles on the walls. I think they stand out a little too much...

Oh and why are all those romans bare-assed?? :laugh:

Thanks very much and thanks for the advice; I will definitely in my next castle type MOC.

Really nice builds. It's cool to see see a build from "start to finish". I like the the round corners at the back of the castle. I might have to use that idea sometime, if that's ok. :classic:

Thanks and use away, any techniques I've used have been inspired by others.

Incredible MW, thank you so much for sharing this! I too have walked part of Hadrian's Wall and now I feel like I've seen it at its prime!

You've done an incredible job recreating the construction and eventual destruction of this milecastle. I have to say the construction MOC is in particular very striking, considering the beautiful scaffolding and the amazing way you recreated the construction process (with a couple of nobles sitting idly by watching the work over a glass of wine :laugh: ).

You did a wonderful job with the finished product, the buildings are incredibly realistic looking. Your castle design is simple but very elegant looking. The stone walkway is just plain gorgeous too!

Wow, I could go on and on about this one. Absolutely perfect! I hope this gets all the recognition it deserves! :classic:

Thanks you very much for your comments, they really give me confidence.

Fantastic builds! I really like the rounded corners. The detail for different seasons is great, and the scaffolding is really neat. The white tiles on the wall for snow was a bit distracting though. Thanks for sharing this as I have never had the chance to go in person. :(

Thanks very much! And thank you for your critique; funnily enough I really like the white tiles on the walls... but maybe I'll use a few less next time I build something wintery.

This is epic!

Great moc´s. Everyone of them!

Best regards

BoB

Cheers Bob, I had greaet fun making them!

Hey you got some amazing mocs there.. Lovely details, beautifuly made... And great photography!

Thanks very much - the photography is probably the bit I've had most difficulty with.

I was born and raised within a mile or two of the wall and it's been a real pleasure looking at these MOCs - they are superb representations of what it looked like. Congratulations on such an awesome build and thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks very much - such praise from a local is amazing! It really is an amazing part of the country.

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Incredible! Fantastic representation of the wall, and brilliant MOCs to boot- love the variation in seasons!

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Super cool :) I like the rounded corners and the dark grey tile stones. Personally I am not so much for mixing in masonry bricks, but that's just my taste :) and the tiled roof looks great in mixed colors.

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I know this has been said, but I wanted to add my enjoyment of the progression of the milecastle and learning more about these. Just fantastic! The fire in the final scenes was one of my favorites as the fire pieces were coming off the building at natural angles.

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This series of moc's are really wonderful so,much attention to detail. Wow, Im stunned, thanks for sharing this!

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Incredible! Fantastic representation of the wall, and brilliant MOCs to boot- love the variation in seasons!

Thanks very much - the variations were great fun to think up and put together.

Super cool :) I like the rounded corners and the dark grey tile stones. Personally I am not so much for mixing in masonry bricks, but that's just my taste :) and the tiled roof looks great in mixed colors.

Thanks very much comment. Personally I like the masonary bricks, they add texture and help avoid the big gray wall syndrome... even though it does still result in a big, gray wall... but that's my personal taste :wink:

I know this has been said, but I wanted to add my enjoyment of the progression of the milecastle and learning more about these. Just fantastic! The fire in the final scenes was one of my favorites as the fire pieces were coming off the building at natural angles.

Thanks very much!

What a great moc! Like the first one the most

Thank you very much! Funnily enough I like the first one most too :classic:

This series of moc's are really wonderful so,much attention to detail. Wow, Im stunned, thanks for sharing this!

Thanks very much!

Love this the differant stages are awesome.

Thanks very much!

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Can't tell you enough how much I love this series of yours. Everything is top notch, and the fact that you've shown it in construction, in different seasons, and under attack is icing on the cake. Keep building in Historical!

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Truly amazing!! Love every little detail. You should be extremely proud of this. I've been to the wall and love all things Roman. :wub:

I am assuming you changed out the MOC pieces to change the seasons? Moreover did you make two MOCs? One for the construction and the another for the completed fort?

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Can't tell you enough how much I love this series of yours. Everything is top notch, and the fact that you've shown it in construction, in different seasons, and under attack is icing on the cake. Keep building in Historical!

Cheers Gary - more historical MOCs to come!

Truly amazing!! Love every little detail. You should be extremely proud of this. I've been to the wall and love all things Roman. :wub:

I am assuming you changed out the MOC pieces to change the seasons? Moreover did you make two MOCs? One for the construction and the another for the completed fort?

Thanks very much - I have loads more Roman themed ideas to come.

I only made one MOC which i modified each time. The first one I made was the peaceful summer scene, followed by the winter scene and then the battle scene. The construction MOC was made last, which I built as part of the deconstruction of the battle MOC.

Awesome builds and a great history lesson. :) :thumbup: :thumbup:

Thank you very much Venunder!

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Each individual build was great, but when you consider all of them put together, it is incredible. I hope your Hadrian's Wall series makes it to the Front Page.

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This is fantastic! The detail and action are wonderful. My favorite has to be the "under construction" MOC. It is so wonderfully detailed including the rubble-fill for the walls. Very nice work.

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