Charlton Heston's Geordie Roots

Overhearing a conversation the other day between my wife and a friend, I heard Angie re-iterate (for the umpteenth time) that her favourite film was Ben-Hur, the 1959 effort starring Charlton Heston. My better half loves this movie, and, I think, fancied the lead actor no end. Her friend then recalled that she'd seen the American star perform at Newcastle's Theatre Royal back in 1988 as Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons. Angie was suddenly overcome with barely-concealed envy.

Her jealousy soon, though, turned to anguish as her friend checked the fine detail on the internet, only to find that the great man had actually called into St.Thomas More School in her home town of Blaydon during the same visit. She had no idea that she'd come so close to her idol!

Heston, it turns out, was in the North East to appear in the famous play on the theatre's opening night following the building's 20-month closure and refurb. The grand occasion took place on 11th January 1988. He is understood to have had a bit of a soft spot for the Toon, claiming that he loved the place due to it having 'so much history'. I am starting to warm to the man myself now.

He was well aware of his ancestral links to the city, too. Heston said during a Press conference at the Theatre Royal: “My grandfather [John Carter] came from the Newcastle area. He worked in the mines as a boy of eight or nine around 1890 to 1895. He emigrated to America soon after with his mother. I believe Carter is not an uncommon name in Newcastle, although I don’t know of any relatives who might still be living here.”

And it wasn't the first time he'd called in to the region. As detailed in this revealing ChronicleLive article, he had a holiday here in the late 1970s, during which time he hiked along Hadrian's Wall and did a little family history research in Jesmond! He also popped into Newcastle for a stage appointment in 1952 ... and yet another visit, in 1968, included this televised interview.

Well, who'd have thought it? Not my wife, Angie, for one.

A Fragment of the Past: the Romans at Denton

On a recent visit to Newcastle's Great North Museum: Hancock, I fell upon this little piece of history relating to my home patch, Denton Burn. The inscription seems to intimate that the section of Wall hereabouts was built by a soldiery unit from modern-day Romania, led by a Thracian (from modern-day Greece). However, further research suggests that it pertains to the construction of the Vallum a little to the south of the Wall. Here's a drawing of the inscription:

In case you're wondering, it was found on the north edge of the south mound of the Vallum, during the construction of the present-day housing estate in the late 1930s. The exact point of discovery was the top of Heathwell Road, where it meets the thoroughfare known as West Vallum. The slab would have been laid, on show, in the side of the earthen Vallum. 

Anyway, that's the short version of the story. If you'd like a little more detail, then click here.

The Tyne's Roman Shrines

If you ever find yourself wandering amidst the schoolkids at Newcastle's Hancock Museum, please be sure to check out the following collection of suitably coloured Roman altars that can be found in the Hadrian's Wall gallery:

(click on image to enlarge)

And have an especially close look at the left-hand pair, dedicated to the gods Neptune and Oceanus, as these are particularly significant:

You mustn't worry, though, for they haven't actually been daubed with modern-day masonry paint. And whilst you're standing there you may well wonder for some confused moments how the special effect has been, well, effected. It's all a trick of the light - see here for the official story. And the nearby info panel puts you in the picture, too:

As for the two altars to the left, well, they were dredged from the bed of the River Tyne in 1875 (Neptune) and 1903 (Oceanus), respectively, at the spot now occupied by the Swing Bridge. It was here that the old Roman Bridge of Pons Aelius spanned the river, and the altars would most probably have adorned the structure (or possibly formed the centre piece of a bridgehead shrine)  - and may even have been deliberately cast into the river at some point in an act of dedication. Neptune and Oceanus were, of course, water gods, and their placement upon or near the Roman bridge would be perfectly appropriate. 

Both stones bear a dedication to their respective god and the inscription "the Sixth Victorious Legion Loyal and Faithful (made this)". The 6th Legion was active in Britain from 122 AD to the end of the Roman occupation, so there's a good chance they were made at the time of Hadrian and the construction of his famous Wall.

Brilliant effort by the Hancock, this. It's the sort of thing that makes museums genuinely interesting!

The Romans at Denton

Those of you who endured my ramblings about my relationship with the Roman ruins near my childhood home in volume 1 of The Great North-East may be interested in a little further detail. And those of you who didn't ... well, you may want to at least look at the pictures.

So blasé was, and indeed still is, my attitude to the multiple stretches of Roman Wall in Denton, that I didn't even have any personal photographs of them. So the other day I thought I'd put that right and go have a proper look at the ancient specimens in question. We'll have a look at them east-to-west.

OK, then. Remember that the Roman (or Hadrian's) Wall ran roughly along the course, westwards, out of Newcastle, all the way along the West Road and way beyond. If you begin at the junction where Denton Road / Silver Lonnen meet the West Road, then you will see a petrol station - pretty much on the roundabout. It's a busy little corner of the western suburbs; but have a look on the forecourt and you will see our first little taste of the old frontier, thus:

Yes, that's it. But a few yards further on, on the other side of the neighbouring restaurant, can be found:

Yes, and that does say 'Wonderwall' in the background (deary me). Remember, we're celebrating the 1,900th anniversary of the Wall this year.

Moving on through Denton's shops and beyond the footbridge, you will find an especially interesting section of stonework, known as Denton Hall Turret:

As you can see, this is an especially tempting piece of 'climbing frame' material for kids, and I played my part regularly on this old turret half a century ago (OK, I'm not proud).

Finally, a short walk westward (beyond the big roundabout where the West Road crosses the Western By-Pass) brings you to another long stretch of masonry:

After this point the busy A69 sweeps over the course of the Wall; the foundations of the road no doubt containing several ton of scattered Roman rock. That's it, I think, until you get to an especially impressive section at Heddon-on-the-Wall.

And, yes, I'm afraid I did briefly tread on the Wall at Denton Hall Turret ... just for old times' sake.

Sycamore Gap & Castle Nick

On our return from a few days away in the Lake District, my son suggested a visit to Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall. It wasn't much of a detour, so we agreed to call in. We pulled off the A69 at Greenhead and angled up to Steel Rigg Car Park via the Military Road. Though you can get a pretty good long-distance view of the famous tree from the equally well-known road, if you want to stop at the nearest car park then Steel Rigg it is - and it'll set you back £4 for the privilege.

You then set off on foot in an easterly direction for about a mile along the Wall, up and down several hills and dips, until you come, firstly, to the nice little surprise that is Milecastle 39 (aka Castle Nick), then to the much sought-after spot itself. It is not at all an easy location to reach, so don't think you can just casually visit with a pushchair, wheelchair, or whatever. It's a good twenty minutes of half-decent puffing-and-panting. 

The milecastle is a lovely little attraction in itself. It measures 19m x 15.5m, and stands almost 2m high in places. It has been excavated several times over the centuries, and is thought to have been occupied by the legions deep into the fourth century.

One 'dip' further on can be found one of the most photographed trees in the country. The Sycamore Gap Tree was made famous by the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner - and it also made an appearance in the video of the spin-off music hit (Everything I Do) I Do It For You (Bryan Adams, remember?). In 2016 it was voted England's Tree of the Year.

Anyway, after a few snaps of my own I left my son, Matthew, and his girlfriend, Hannah, to enjoy the evening sun at this really quite romantic of spots in the way that young 'uns do best: by taking a slew of selfies in a variety of contorted poses...

P.S. By way of a little test, I asked the other three occupants of our car just how old they thought Hadrian's Wall was this year. It's a famous anniversary in 2022, of course, it being 1,900 years since construction began. None of them had a clue, and an extended bout of 'higher/lower' ensued. We got there in the end. Honestly, some people!