Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall is a 84 mile long wall that built in Northern England by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, to keep the Scots out of the Roman occupied lands.
Despite being nearly 2000 years old, many parts of the wall are still standing today, and can be visited and even walked along.
This poem for kids by Jon Bratton and Paul Perro celebrates the great wall of England. When you have finished reading the poem, if you would like to find out more about the wall, please scroll down a little further.
The Great Wall of England
A poem for kids by Jon Bratton and Paul Perro
When the Romans conquered Britain
Thousands of years ago.
They built towns in England and Wales,
They didn't want Scotland though.
The Scotsmen and the Romans
Did not get on at all.
To stop the Scots from stealing sheep
The Romans built a wall.
It stretched from Solway Firth in the west
To the Newcastle in the east.
To build it they used many stones,
Millions, at least.
The Emperor who was in charge,
(Hadrian was his name)
Did lots of things during his reign
But the wall gave him lasting fame.
It took fifteen years to build it,
Things took longer back then.
Hundreds of horses pulled the carts
There were thousands of working men.
They built forts and towers as well
They built them very tall,
So the Romans could see the Scots
Who tried to sneak up to the wall.
The Romans stayed in Britain for
Hundreds of years, altogether.
I wonder why they stayed so long?
It couldn't have been the weather.
That the wall was built to last
Would be a fair thing to say.
It was built thousands of years ago
And is still standing today.
Indeed, from all around the World
People come to see it.
There's always a tourist around
You can almost guarantee it!
Facts about Hadrian's Wall
- The Romans invaded Britain in 43AD, conquering England and Wales, but not Scotland. Scotland was home to the warlike Picts and Caledonians, whom the legions had not been able to subdue.
- When Hadrian became Emperor in AD 117 he wanted to consolidate the empire, not expand, and built several walls in different countries and continents, including northern England.
- Hadrian's Wall was 73 miles long, 8 to 10 feet wide, and took 6 years to build.
- Many soldiers and their families lived in settlements just inside the wall.
- In AD 197 the wall was overrun by the barbarian Picts from the north. Many of the forts had to be rebuilt.
- Angles and Saxons - pirates from Northern Germany - started to attack farms and villas in south east England. In AD 285 the Romans started to build more walls and fortifications along the coast. Eventually they stretched from Norfolk all the way down to Isle of Wight. The Romans called it the Saxon Shore.
- When the Angles and the Saxons started attacking the Empire all across Europe, the survival of Rome itself was threatened. In AD 407, the army was called back to Rome; the wall was abandoned, along with the rest of England.
- Hadrian's Wall is still intact today in many places, and can be walked along for much of its length. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England.
If you would like to find out more about Hadrian's Wall, visit
aboutscotland.co.uk
