Carlisle, where I stayed a couple of weeks back, is the western end of Hadrian’s Wall and the Newcastle area is the eastern. As I was getting on the train to the appropriately named town of Wallsend I saw a local with a Green Bay Packers cap & sweatshirt so I pleasantly called him a Cheesehead. Keith was initially a bit startled but I said “Packer’s Fan?” and he laughed. We sat together on the train and when I told him my destination he suggested I go to North Shields and take the ferry to South Shields as he felt the Roman remains there where better. I followed his advice but also stopped at Wallsend on my return. The ferry ride is hardly 15 minutes and as there were two Americans onboard, Dan & Scott from Cali, we began to chat.
They were in the process of doing the John O’ Groats to Land’s End 1100 mile bike ride. Oddly enough when I got to Arbeia, the Roman fort remains S. Shields I found the lads there. We 3 Yanks were the only visitors at the time. At Arbeia there is a rebuilt Gateway to what was once the fort on the original base and the foundations of barracks, granaries, stables and officer housing have been un earthed. They have also quite faithfully made reconstructions of these buildings. It was a pretty good museum.
This is a key stone with is the center stone in an archway. The hole is how it was hoisted in place using pulleys. Along with altars, mile markers and other bits of Roman history.
As I mentioned, the reconstructions were quite well done.
The room with the U-shaped blue covers benches was a dining area
The walk through S. Shields was nice and there were a couple of interesting statues along the way.
I couldn’t find out about the female sculpture but the other, A Man and his Donkey commemorates the local hero, John Simpson who was a stretcher bearer during the Anzac Cove landing during the Gallipoli debacle in WWI. He used the donkeys to carry first aid supplies and injured solders for 3 weeks until he was killed.
And the last is a tribute to merchant seaman lost. I did like the name of the restaurant right next to it. Almost the same font as I used in my old company’s same name.
Walking back from Arbeia through the town I was about to take a photo of what appeared to be a lighthouse when it was suddenly blocked.
Blocked by what turned out to be the ship on the left. Lets you know how deep the Tyne is
I came upon a wee local museum so I popped informed a quick look.
William Jobbing was found guilty of murder and after being hung he was covered in pitch and placed for display in an iron cage. He was the last person to gibbeted in the UK.
There were some nice paintings and ship models
And in the stairwell this exhibit
From S Shields I went to Walls End to the Fort Segedunum. This was not as impressive as Arbeia but on the way.
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