Light Up! Light Up! Hadrian’s Wall to get Spectacular Light Show

Iluminating Hadrian's WallHadrians Wall all 84 miles of it will be bathed in light for one night only in March.

A spectacular line of light will run along the entire coast-to-coast Hadrians Wall Path National Trail on Saturday, March 13.

Lights will be placed at 250m intervals along the route thats around 500 illuminated spots stretching from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria. The Romans built fortlets, known as milecastles, along the Wall at intervals of one Roman mile. Between each milecastle, and spaced one third of a Roman mile apart, were a series of turrets. The plan is to create a point of light where all the milefortlets and turrets were located, with an additional point of light between each of them. There will also be a number of stewarded points along the wall where people will be able to view the line of light.

The Illuminating Hadrians Wall project coincides with British Tourism Week 2010 (March 15-21) and is the brainchild of Hadrians Wall Heritage Ltd, who are planning a massive eco-revamp of the site over the next five years.

It is one of a number of events being held in the North East of England and Cumbria presented by Kendal Arts International and Manchester International Arts. It forms part of the events and festivals programme for culture10 in the North East of England and the Lakes Alive festival in Cumbria.

It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a line of light stretching from one side of England to the other.

Linda Tuttiett, the Chief Executive of Hadrians Wall Heritage Ltd, says the light project will bring to life Britains longest and greatest piece of heritage and celebrate the landscape of Hadrians Wall Country.

What could be more spectacular than a line of light that will stretch from coast to coast illuminating this stunning World Heritage Site?

The event is being produced by John Farquhar-Smith who was the technical director for the 8-minute handover ceremony for London 2012 at the closing of the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a line of light stretching from one side of England to the other, he says. Our aim is to capture the publics imagination with an event that will show the immense scale and beauty of Hadrians Wall and the countryside, villages, towns and cities that it runs through. It will be a celebration of a truly iconic piece of World heritage.

Sharing the Light

A camera crew will film the line of light as it makes its way from coast to coast from a helicopter and the pictures will be beamed to giant screens as part events in the North East and at Carlisle.

Stella Hall, Creative Director of culture10 said, We are delighted to celebrate the lighting of the iconic Hadrians Wall, and hope that audiences will join us on the evening of March 13 at the events in Carlisle and Wallsend where we can share in this once in a lifetime experience.

Julie Tait, director of Lakes Alive, says the project is part of a four-year programme building up to the London 2012 Olympics. [It] is all about bringing to life the rich and spectacular landscapes and heritage of Cumbria, she says.

Hadrians Wall formed the Roman frontier across the north of England for almost 300 years. It was built in AD122 by the Roman army on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian. In 1987 it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and in 2005 became part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.

Today it attracts visitors from all over the world, and is a firm favourite with the nation’s children, who voted it second only to Stonehenge in a recent poll, in which it beat attractions such as the London Eye hands down.

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