Topics > Heritage Sites > Hadrian's Wall > Wall Mile 52 > Turret 52a (Banks East)

Turret 52a (Banks East)


Turrets on Hadrian’s Wall were small watchtowers built into the wall, with two turrets per Roman mile, located between larger milecastles. They provided elevated viewpoints for small groups of 4 to 6 soldiers to spot threats and offer basic shelter for patrols. Turrets significantly enhanced continuous surveillance and control of the frontier by housing sentries between main garrisons. Their importance lay in forming an integrated part of the wall’s defensive system, enabling rapid communication and constant vigilance against incursions, turning the wall into a manned frontier rather than a simple barrier. Under a naming system introduced in 1930, turrets are numbered 1 to 80 from east (A) to west (B) and given numbers as pairs, taking the number of the nearest milecastle to their east.

Turret 52a, also known as Banks East Turret, is in Wall Mile 52 of Hadrian's Wall, is located to the east of Banks (village) and about 3½ miles north-east of Brampton. The turret was constructed from stone around AD 122-128, as part of the initial construction of Hadrian's Wall. It is notable for being the westernmost turret on Hadrian’s Wall still visible today and is considered the best-preserved turret in the Wall's originally turf-built section, which was built westwards from Milecastle 49 to the Solway Firth (the turf wall was later replaced by stone). The demolished remains of the original turf wall were found abutting the turret's east wall during excavations in 1933.

The walls of the remains of Turret 58a now stand to a maximum height of 1.75 metres. Excavations uncovered traces of two hearths and a low stone bench along the north-west wall. A stone platform formed the base for a ladder that provided access to an upper floor and the roof for observation. The turret was the first section of Hadrian's Wall to be placed in the guardianship of the Ancient Monuments department in 1934.

Wall Mile 52 Historic Buildings and Monuments in Waterhead Civil Parish
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Banks East Turret 52a, Hadrian's Wall
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from Geograph (geograph)
Turret 52A, Hadrian's Wall
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Turret 52A (Banks East)
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Banks East Turret 52a, Hadrian's Wall
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Wall Mile 52 - Turret 52a (Banks East Turret), Hadrian's Wall
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from Geograph (geograph)
Turret 52a Banks East information board
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Read and learn.
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from Geograph (geograph)
The north defensive ditch of Hadrian's Wall at Turret 52a (Banks East)
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Wall Mile 52 - Turret 52a (Banks East Turret), Hadrian's Wall
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Banks East Turret 52a, Hadrian's Wall
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Banks East Turret 52a, Hadrian's Wall
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Wall Mile 52
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Wall Mile 52
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from Geograph (geograph)
At Banks East Turret, Hadrian's Wall
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from https://historicengland.org.u…
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the field boundary west of Coombe Crag and Banks Green Cottage and the road to Lanercost at Banks in wall miles 51 and 52 - List Entry
- ....The monument includes the section of Hadrian's Wall and vallum and their associated features between the field boundary west of Coombe Crag in the east and Banks Green Cottage and …
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from https://www.english-heritage.…
Banks East Turret - Hadrian's Wall
- Visitor information and a section on history.
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Excavating Banks East Turret
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Information panel at Banks East Turret 52a, Hadrian's Wall
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Banks East Turret 52a, Hadrian's Wall
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from Flickr (flickr)
Banks East Turret 52a, Hadrian's Wall
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Flickr (flickr)
Wall Mile 52 - Turret 52a (Banks East Turret), Hadrian's Wall
Pinned by Simon Cotterill

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Geo / Heritage Meta Data

Post code: CA8 2BX
Unitary Auth: Cumberland
County: Cumbria
Grid ref: NY5747864729

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