DELIVERED BY Solway Coast Business Group
Come and celebrate the long and turbulent history of the area around Port Carlisle & Bowness Parish in the 1900 years since Hadrian built his wall! Re-enactors re-create the history & cultures of the different people who lived, worked & whose heritage survived through the often turbulent centuries from AD122 when the wall was started. This is the 2nd & last chance to “meet your Ancestors” following the hugely successful Burgh-by-Sands event earlier in March (with over 300 attending!) The day is full of re-enactor displays, presentations and demonstrations. • Solway Folk Band will be playing during the day • Bronwen Riley, the Cumbria based author, will be giving a short presentation & signing her new book, “Journey to Britannia, from the Heart of Rome to Hadrian’s Wall AD130 “(Available from Bookends in Carlisle) Re-enactor Groups taking part include:- • Legio VIII Augustus – in full army uniform & demonstrating their surveying skills • Herlid Vikings – in kit and civilian outfit from Aspatria & West Cumbria • Historia Normannis – demonstrating the peaceful & warlike side of medieval Saxon/Normans. • Teviotdale Steel Bonnets – bring along grislier reminders of Reiver raids & the aftermath. Only 1mile away is the site of the Roman fort Maia – (2nd largest fort on the wall after the cavalry fort in Carlisle). When the Romans left, the area was settled by Vikings & Britons, becoming controlled by the Kingdom of Rheged, at times part of Scotland before being invaded by Normans! In turn this led into an era of cross-border raiding & the building of fortified farmhouses such as you can see in nearby Drumburgh. Port Carlisle village itself plus its sea lock was only built in 1819 (Georgian period) with the canal to Carlisle City completed 4 years later. This was followed by the building of the then longest Railway bridge in Britain (across the Solway Firth to Annan in 1869. Demolished in 1935 the area became host to WW2 satellite airfields like Kirkbride and the submarine radio communication station at Anthorn. The Solway Firth itself was used for bombing & live fire practice with machine gun shells still to be found there at very low tides! This event has been provided by the The Solway Coast Business Group and generously funded by Allerdale Borough Council and Cumbria County Council.
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