Overview

The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in 2023 struck a deep chord across the world, reminding many of how trees define our landscapes and memories. Hadrian’s Wall and its Trees responds to that moment by celebrating the living and ancient trees that line the course of Rome’s northern frontier — and the enduring role of wood in its history. Edited by David J. Breeze, with evocative line drawings by Mark B. Richards, this richly illustrated volume explores how trees have shaped the story of Hadrian’s Wall: from their presence in Roman construction and everyday life to their appearance in art, myth, and conservation today. Essays range from studies of ancient woodlands and Roman carpentry to reflections on individual trees that have become landmarks in their own right. With contributions from archaeologists, artists, and heritage specialists, the book weaves together science, history, and emotion — demonstrating how trees, both ancient and modern, continue to give meaning to this extraordinary landscape. A testament to renewal and continuity, it invites readers to look anew at Hadrian’s Wall and the natural world that frames it.

Full Product Details

Author:   David J. Breeze ,  Mark B. Richards ,  Tony Gates (Chief Executive, Northumberland National Park Authority)
Publisher:   Archaeopress
Imprint:   Archaeopress Archaeology
Dimensions:   Width: 20.60cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 20.60cm
Weight:   1.300kg
ISBN:  

9781805830986

ISBN 10:   1805830988
Pages:   244
Publication Date:   06 November 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface Foreword – Tony Gates Introduction – David J. Breeze and Mark Richards My Journey to a Tree – Richard Beleson Storm Arwen – Graeme Stobbs Under the Sycamore Tree – Jim Crow The Romans and Trees Trees in Roman Literature – Andrew Fox A Mythology of Trees – Sandra Walkshofer The Caledonian Forest – Rebecca H. Jones Hadrian and the Protection of Trees in Lebanon – Carole Raddato A Coin Depicting a Tree – Richard Brickstock Woodland The First Northern Forest – Ian Jackson An Ancient Grove – Ian Jackson Wildwoods and Wildernesses – Sue Stallibrass Strategy, Walls and Trees: Wark Forest from Highshield Crags – Al McCluskey Trees and the Survey of Hadrian’s Wall – John Poulter The Protection of Trees Northumbria Veteran Trees Project – Nick Johnson Ancient Woodlands Along the Wall – Dorothy Cowans Woodlands on Hadrian’s Wall: Managing the Resource – Don O’Meara and Mike Collins Trees Along the Wall Drawn to Trees – Mark B. Richards A Tree at the Wall – Eckhard Deschler-Erb A Sentinel at Benwell – David J. Breeze A Lost Tree at Denton – David J. Breeze Down Hill – Sam Bithell A Green Knoll at Chesters which Seemed to Invite Antiquarian Research – Frances McIntosh A Solitary Thorn Marks the Site of Turret 29b – Katie Mountain The Reverend Anthony Hedley’s Drive at Vindolanda – Peter Savin A Venerable Symbol of Immortality: The Beltingham Yew – Paul Frodsham A Lost Tree from the West Gate at Vindolanda – Alexander Meyer The Vallum’s Tall Trees at Twice Brewed – Sarah Bell Walltown – Abigail Cheverst The Walltown Country Park – Abigail Cheverst Medieval Trees on Hadrian’s Wall – Rachel Newman and Tony Wilmott Turf Love – Peter Savin A Scots Pine at High House – David J. Breeze A Pear Tree at Lanercost and the Romans’ Taste in Fruit – Jacqui Huntley Blackthorn in Wall Mile 59 – Humphrey Welfare The Tree Line in Houghton – Susan Aglionby Out West: A Tree at Port Carlisle – Jane Harrison Sycamores at Maryport – Kelly Davis Objects Created from Trees The Contribution of Archaeological Science to Understanding Wood in Antiquity – Tony Wilmott The Conservation of the Wooden Objects at Vindolanda – Patricia Birley The Wood of the Vindolanda Writing Tablets – Caroline Cartwright Transport and Communication Hadrian’s Road to Britain – Erik P. Graafstal Wooden Wheels on the Walls – Fraser Hunter Wooden Walls: Hadrian’s Maritime Frontier – Paul Kitching Bridging the North Sea – Tom Hazenberg A Tree Provides Evidence of the Twentieth Legion at Carlisle – Roger S.O. Tomlin A Friendship Forged at the Edge of Their World – Andrew Birley Building Building in Timber on Hadrian’s Wall – William S. Hanson The Roman Army Cutting Down Trees on Trajan’s Column – Harry van Enckevort Cutting the Frontier’s Timber – Alan Wilkins Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Tanja Romankiewicz Obstacles on the Berm – Nicholas Hodgson The Great Chesters pilum murale – Martha Lovell Stewart An Unexpected Inscription – Matthew Symonds Behind the Closed Door – David J. Breeze Living and Dying A Roman Travel Sewing Kit – Barbara Birley A Tale of Two Turners: Trees, Places and Lived Experiences – Rob Sands The Carlisle Wooden Sword – Mike Bishop Pizza for Dinner, Anyone? – Jacqui Huntley The Wooden Underworld: Toilet Seats – Marta Alberti-Dunn Cremation Practices at Luguvalium/Carlisle – Matthew S. Hobson Unknown Wood(s): Roman-period Wooden Jewellery – Tatiana Ivleva Unknown Objects: Wood Woven into the Fabric of the Frontier – Amy Baker Religion Sculptured Trees from the Military Zone – Lindsay Allason-Jones A God in the Woods: Cocidius at Risingham – Eleri Cousins A Foreign Tree for a Foreign Cult: Pinecones in the Carrawburgh Mithraeum – David Walsh The Goddess Coventina and her Sacred Grove at Brocolitia/Carrawburgh – Richard Hingley Trees and Artists Artists and Trees on Hadrian’s Wall – David J. Breeze Two Puzzles at Blackcarts – David J. Breeze A Presbyterian Minister’s Wooden ‘Reliquary’? – Roger Miket The Book Plate of John Collingwood Bruce – David J. Breeze The Carved Wooden Soldier at Segedunum/Wallsend – Bill Griffiths The Sycamore Gap Tree: Its Future Trees of Hope – Andrew Poad Notes Made on Hadrian’s Wall – Catherine Ayres Dendrochronological analysis of the tree in Sycamore Gap – Historic England Press Notice Epilogue – Geoffrey Bennett Further Reading Acknowledgements and Credits List of Contributors

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Author Information

Contributor List: Susan Aglionby Marta Alberti-Dunn Lindsay Allason-Jones Catherine Ayres Amy Baker Richard Beleson Sarah Bell Geoffrey Bennett Andrew Birley Barbara Birley Patricia Birley Mike Bishop Sam Bithell David J. Breeze Richard Brickstock Caroline Cartwright Laura Charlton Abigail Cheverst Mike Collins Nick Corble Eleri Cousins Dorothy Cowans Jim Crow Kelly Davis Eckhard Deschler-Erb Andrew Fox Paul Frodsham Tony Gates Erik Graafstal Bill Griffiths William (Bill) S. Hanson Jane Harrison Tom Hazenberg Richard Hingley Matthew Hobson Nick Hodgson Fraser Hunter Jacqui Huntley Tatiana Ivleva Ian Jackson Nick Johnson Rececca H. Jones Paul J. Kitching Al McCluskey Frances McIntosh Alex Meyer Roger Miket Katie Mountain Rachel Newman Don O’Meara Andrew Poad John S. Poulter Carole Raddato Mark Richards Tanja Romankiewicz Robert Sands Peter Savin Sue Stallibrass Martha Lovell Stewart Graeme Stobbs Matthew Symonds Roger Tomlin Harry van Enckevort Sandra Walkshofer David Walsh Humphrey Welfare Alan Wilkins Tony Wilmott

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