A vibrant reimagining of a Roman gatehouse opens 1,600-year-old views
In short: Imagine standing where a Roman soldier stood nearly two millennia ago, looking out over a landscape that has remained largely unchanged. At Housesteads Roman Fort, a new art installation allows visitors to climb into the past while viewing the frontier through a contemporary lens.
To celebrate the 1900th anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall, English Heritage commissioned artist Morag Myerscough and local community members to create a temporary installation at Housesteads Roman Fort. One of the most significant and well-preserved sites along the wall, Housesteads served as a vital military outpost. The new artwork is situated in the precise location where the fort's north gatehouse once stood, intentionally mirroring the original structure's dimensions.
The project, titled to reflect the interconnectedness of history and the present, uses a large-scale scaffold frame covered in brightly colored wooden placards. These placards were not chosen at random; they were designed based on Roman designs, community workshops, and the collection of artifacts held at the Chesters Roman Fort Museum. By involving local residents in the creation process, the project aims to ensure the work remains relevant to the people who live near the site today.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the installation serves a pedagogical purpose. It seeks to challenge common perceptions of Hadrian’s Wall as merely a barrier meant to exclude outsiders. Instead, it highlights the wall as a dynamic frontier—a space that people actively crossed and inhabited. By allowing visitors to climb to the top, the installation provides an unobstructed view of the ancient landscape as it appeared 1,600 years ago, creating a physical and visual bridge between AD122 and the modern day.
The work was open to the public from July 30, 2022, until October 30, 2022. It represents a shift in how heritage sites are managed, moving toward 'living history' where contemporary art is used to provoke thought about what these ancient structures meant to those who built them and what they mean to us now.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: A New Art Installation at Housesteads Roman Fort | with Morag Myerscough
- Also: Art Installation at Housesteads Roman Fort | English Heritage
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