Category: Geography & Environment

Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian’s Wall was constructed in the 2nd century and stretched 73 miles coast-to-coast in northern England. It marked one of the borders […]

Hadrian’s Wall was constructed in the 2nd century and stretched 73 miles coast-to-coast in northern England. It marked one of the borders of the Roman Empire at that time and it took at least six years to build. Parts of it can still be seen today ~ at Birdoswald, for example, which has the longest remaining stretch.

Publius Aelius Hadrianus (76-138AD) was one of the more stable Roman Emperors and his policy was to consolidate the Empire’s territories rather than expand them as his predecessor had done. He was crowned in 117AD and visited Britain 5 years later. It is unclear whether the Wall was already under construction amidst rebellions and raids from the “barbarians” in Scotland, or if it was this visit that prompted Hadrian’s decision to build. A fairly recent discovery of an engraved artefact suggests that the Wall was called ‘Vallum Aelii’ (rampart of Aelius), confirming the connection with Hadrian.

Most of the Wall was of stone but some of it was turf (like the 39-mile ‘Vallum Antonini’ built later on, further north). The remains give only a tiny impression of the enormous structure that it once was, with many forts, gateways and living quarters for soldiers, families and traders.

(Image: Oliver Dixon at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

16/10/2018
3 min
7 years
213 words

Land’s End

Land’s End is on the south-western tip of mainland England in the county of Cornwall and the signpost featured above left will […]

Land’s End is on the south-western tip of mainland England in the county of Cornwall and the signpost featured above left will have been photographed by tourists thousands of times over the years, many not paying attention to the lack of an apostrophe! The end of the land makes it Land’s End, not Lands End, which implies the action of multiple lands ending there. Some even put the apostrophe after the wrong letter, i.e. Lands’ End, meaning the end of multiple lands. There is only one England, of course, and thankfully in 2018 Cornwall Council voted to finally remedy the confusion and the apostrophe now takes its rightful place!

Land’s End has spectacular views from its cliff-tops. The cliffs are granite and their steepness attracts many rock-climbers. There is a hotel and a theme park in the vicinity and the landmark is so popular with tourists that they are advised to pre-book their car parking spaces. The nearest town is Penzance, 9 miles away, and the nearest village is Sennen. The A30 road from London finishes at Land’s End, as do many charity runs, walks and drives, having started at John O’Groats, or vice-versa, a distance of 874 miles (according to the signpost).

(Top images LtoR: Lewis Clarke & Rod Allday, both at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

15/10/2018
3 min
7 years
220 words

Geography & Environment

Crown Dependencies

Within the British Isles there are three Crown Dependencies, namely:- the Bailiwick of Jersey the Bailiwick of Guernsey (including Alderney, Sark and […]

Within the British Isles there are three Crown Dependencies, namely:-

the Bailiwick of Jersey
the Bailiwick of Guernsey (including Alderney, Sark and other islands)
the Isle of Man

Together the two Bailiwicks are known as the Channel Islands.

*Image: UKPhoenix79 at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0*

The Crown Dependencies are self-governing possessions of the British monarchy. In the Isle of Man the royal incumbent is called the ‘Lord of Mann’ and in the Channel Islands he or she is called the ‘Duke of Normandy’. Strange but true!

The Crown Dependencies have a special status in that they are neither their own countries nor are they part of the UK and UK law does not apply to them. Instead, they have their own legal, immigration and healthcare systems, albeit with a degree of oversight by the Crown’s representatives. However, their international and defence affairs are looked after by the UK. This situation is very similar to that of the 14 British Overseas Territories, the difference being that the BOTs are geographically well outside of the British Isles.

The featured photograph is of the Parliament (Tynwald) building, known locally as the ‘Wedding Cake’, in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man.

(Top image: Andy Stephenson at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

12/10/2018
3 min
7 years
210 words

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Quoting Neil Oliver...

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