Cathy Russell

My section covers Milecastles 29 – 31 Black Carts Roman Turret 29a and the Roman Military Way west of Limestone Corner Milecastle 30.

I was inspired by Limestone Corner as the most northerly point of the Roman wall / empire and its distinctive pointed shape when viewed on maps. I was also interested in the underlying geology of this area, the quartz dolerite, volcanic whinstone, and how the place names reflect this, for example carraw = rocks, and carts = rocky / rough.

I was fascinated by the patterns, textures and lichen on these rocks, and also the human interaction with the landscape over time, from Hadrian’s Wall to more recent interventions such as the trig point, part of the retriangulation of Great Britain project in the 1930s which led to more accurate Ordnance Surveys. I aimed to reflect these elements through a mix of photography, historic maps, and a simple lino cut design which abstracted the alignment of the wall in this location.