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

Hadrian’s 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 Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail on Saturday, March 13.

Lights will be placed at 250m intervals along the route – that’s 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 Hadrian’s Wall’ project coincides with British Tourism Week 2010 (March 15-21) and is the brainchild of Hadrian’s 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.

Linda Tuttiett, the Chief Executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, says the light project will “bring to life Britain’s longest and greatest piece of heritage and celebrate the landscape of Hadrian’s 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 public’s imagination with an event that will show the immense scale and beauty of Hadrian’s 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 Hadrian’s 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.

Hadrian’s 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.

Also about the 'Light Up' of Hadrian's Wall on Heritage Key:

• New! Heritage Key's visit to the Light Up! Illuminating Hadrian's Wall
  
• New! Illuminating Hadrian's Wall - Top 10 Flickr Photographs from the Light Up
• New! Helicopter Video Footage from Illuminating Hadrian's Wall
• LIVE from the Illumination of Hadrian's Wall - The Latest news and photographs
• Local info: Tips for taking part in Illuminating Hadrian's Wall
• Photography Tips from Derry Brabbs: Shooting Hadrian's Wall
• Top 10 Roman Walls in Britain
• Hadrian's Wall and the Newcastle Roman Fort - A 3D Reconstruction

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About The Author

Lynette Eyb

Lynette Eyb is the books editor of Heritage-Key.com. She trained in Australia as a journalist before moving to London, where she wrote for and edited various magazines. She has travelled extensively, exploring the ancient wonders of China, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, the UK and Ireland along the way. Lyn lives in Bordeaux with her partner and their young daughter.

Last three pieces by this author: Did Ryszard Kapuściński Follow Herodotus' Example and Make Things Up?, Top 10 Ancient Sites in Syria, People Power Could Signal the End of Uluru Tourist Climb

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