WallCAP: Hadrian’s Wall Community Archaeology Project
Fostering local engagement and social investment in heritage landscapes.
Fostering engagement and social investment
We examine the landscape heritage of the Hadrian’s Wall corridor and World Heritage Site (WHS). We do this by building a community-based network, guided and trained by professionals.
The project aims to foster local engagement and social investment in heritage landscapes. The National Lottery Heritage Fund funds WallCAP, which is hosted by Newcastle University.
WallCAP focuses on improving the heritage of Hadrian’s Wall. The wall is part of the UNESCO transnational Frontiers of the Roman Empire WHS.
World heritage site
UNESCO recognised the significance of the archaeological remains of the Wall in 1987, when it was made a World Heritage Site (WHS).
Initiatives in recent years have raised some concerns in regards to Hadrian’s Wall WHS. Namely, that there is a lack of centralised curation and/or management of the WHS. This means that complex arrangements are required to forward needed conservation.
There are aspects of Hadrian’s Wall that need further research. We need to improve our knowledge of its archaeology.
There is an active public audience that engages with the Wall (and Roman archaeology). These groups desire further opportunities to get involved in its heritage.
Ambitious community archaeology project
WallCAP addresses these concerns through the delivery of an ambitious community archaeology project. It engages local communities and volunteers. It gives them the task of securing the heritage of Hadrian’s Wall WHS for future generations.
The key aims of WallCAP are to:
- deliver a project to a uniform high standard across the entirety of the Hadrian’s Wall WHS
- improve our understanding of the current and historic risks to Hadrian’s Wall. This is necessary to secure its heritage for future generations
- conduct research to better understand the historic use of Hadrian’s Wall in the Roman era and since
- engage and empower local communities in the heritage of the Wall. This should be done both locally and across the WHS, for the duration of the project and beyond
For further information, see wallcap.ncl.ac.uk/