Major grant to preserve Hadrian’s Wall archives
Funding boost will pull together a picture of Hadrian’s Wall for a time when the monument may no longer exist. Tony Henderson reports
Years of experience and knowledge of Hadrian’s Wall will be unlocked by a funding windfall.
The aims of the project are preserving knowledge of the frontier for when the Wall itself may no longer survive and exploring cultural connections to the Roman frontier.
The Vindolanda Trust, leading a partnership with Durham University and North East Museums, has been awarded £149,996 through the Archives Revealed Consortium Grant to deliver Materialitas, an ambitious new archive project.
This major award, running until 2028, represents the largest dedicated archival cataloguing grant currently available in the UK.
The funding will support the cataloguing and public access of five nationally significant archives relating to Hadrian’s Wall, its archaeologists, sites, and material culture.
The five complementary collections are:
The archive of Eric Birley - the personal and professional papers of one of the pioneers of Roman frontier archaeology, founder of Durham University’s Department of Archaeology and Vindolanda’s first modern excavator.
The archive of the Oswald Plicque Reference Collection at Durham University: documentation accompanying a reference collection of 4,500 Samian ware pottery fragments assembled in the late 19th century and later acquired for Durham University by Professor Eric Birley.
The photographic archive of Hadrian’s Wall at the Great North Museum: Hancock - early 20th-century photographs taken by members of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The archive of Beryl Charlton, also held by the Great North Museum: Hancock - the professional papers of the Northumberland-based female Roman archaeologist.
The South Shields Roman Fort archaeological archive - material relating to excavations carried out between 1949 and 1983.
Together, these archives demonstrate that the history of Hadrian’s Wall and the Roman northern frontier is best understood, developed, and engaged with as a connected whole.
The Archives Revealed programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives. It is the only grant programme in the UK dedicated to cataloguing and unlocking archival collections.
Its goal is to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspectives of people across the UK, are made accessible for public research and enjoyment.
Veryan Johnston, chair of Trustees of the Vindolanda Trust, said: “We are excited about this partnership and the opportunity it presents for people to connect to the history of Hadrian’s Wall from a different perspective, through its archival record, complementing the archaeological remains.”
Bethany Goodman, archivist and project manager, said: “These archives hold extraordinary potential for research, creativity, and public engagement, but much of that potential remains locked without detailed cataloguing.
“This project allows us to bring together collections that are usually encountered in isolation and reveal the networks of people, ideas, and material culture that shaped our understanding of Hadrian’s Wall.”
Materialitas will create publicly accessible online catalogues for all five archives by the end of the project, alongside a programme of activities including internships and volunteer opportunities, an artist residency and commission, a conference, and an online exhibition.
The project responds to the growing risks facing Hadrian’s Wall as a physical structure through climate change and the passage of time. By strengthening access to its archival record, the partners aim to ensure that the Wall’s history remains accessible, valued, and enjoyed, preserving knowledge of the frontier for when the Wall itself may no longer survive.