Sewingshields Wood, Northumberland. Archaeological Evaluation Report.

An archaeological evaluation and watching brief was carried out by Oxford Archaeology North (OAN), on behalf of The Countryside Agency and English Heritage, during July 2002,
along the proposed alignment of the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail within Sewingshields Wood, Northumberland (NY 8084 7028 - NY 8098 7028). This lies within the Scheduled
Monument of Hadrian’s Wall and associated features, between the boundary east of Turret 34a and the field boundary west of Milecastle 36, in Wall miles 34, 35 and 36 (SM26057),
and such forms part of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site. The evaluation involved the excavation of three trial trenches, designed to establish the position and extent, character and integrity of the archaeological remains of Hadrian’s Wall in the vicinity of Sewingshields Farm. The trenches were placed across the projected line of the Wall, which survived as a low, linear earthwork through Sewingshields Wood, although its precise line was unclear
around the outbuildings of Sewingshields Farm. The watching brief was maintained during the installation of a new gate at the eastern boundary of the Wood, and some 9m to the south of the Wall.
The remains of the Wall were encountered in each of the evaluation trenches, at depths of between 0.09m and 0.32m below the modern ground surface. In all cases, the Wall had been extensively robbed of its stone, with only the foundations surviving in situ. Nevertheless, the evaluation has confirmed the precise alignment of the Wall immediately to the east and west of the farm outbuildings, and has indicated that its width at this point conforms to Narrow
Wall proportions. It has also furnished new information on the stone robbing of the Wall during the post-medieval period.