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Hadrian’s wall receives £500,000 funding boost

Hadrian’s Wall has received a £500,000 funding boost from the SITA Trust to help to conserve the World Heritage Site.

The £537,185 will allow improved access to the site at a number of locations along its 150 mile stretch, and will pay for new signage and interpretation to attract more visitors of the Roman Frontier.

Linda Tuttiett, chief executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage said: “This is fantastic news for Hadrian’s Wall and we are very grateful to SITA Trust for recognising the importance of this project for the future of the World Heritage Site.

“The grant means parts of the central section of Hadrian’s Wall, some of which are currently on English Heritage’s Heritage at Risk register, can be properly conserved.

The SITA Trust is an independent environmental body established to provide funding through the Landfill Communities Fund. Since its inception in 1997, it has supported more than 3000 projects to a combined value of over £87 million.

Marek Gordon of SITA Trust said: “We are delighted to be able to provide the £537,185 required to protect sections of Hadrian’s Wall that are currently on the Heritage at Risk register and to improve the visitor experience at this National Treasure.

“We hope that this significant grant will encourage other funders to come forward to support Hadrian’s Wall, ultimately removing all sections from the Heritage at Risk Register.”

Soem parts of the wall which are to be conserved are on land owned by the National Trust.

National Trust representative Andrew Poad added: “The conservation techniques which will be used on the Wall are interesting in themselves and we hope visitors will gain greater understanding of these as they pass the sites over the summer.”

After detailed surveys in May specialist stone masons will begin the conservation work on the Wall. The full project is expected to be completed in August 2013.

Hadrian’s Wall Heritage is responsible for the care, protection and management of the 150 mile Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site from the Roman coastal defences at Ravenglass north through Whitehaven, Workington and Maryport to Bowness-on-Solway, along Hadrian’s Wall through Carlisle to Newcastle, Wallsend and South Shields. The Roman frontier was administered from Carlisle.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .