Antonine Wall Millhall Burn to River Avon Grangemouth, Falkirk Council Area, Scotland, UK

Scheduled Monument Statement of Significance

The monument is of national importance as a major Roman frontier system which has the potential to increase considerably our understanding of Roman frontier policy and military organisation. This section of the Wall is unusual in having the remains of at least three temporary camps surviving in close proximity. The Antonine Wall is also the most substantial and important Roman monument in Scotland.

Scheduled Monument Description

This monument comprises a section of the Antonine Wall which runs from Millhall Burn in the west, through Polmont Woods, Grangemouth Golf Course, and past the Polmont dry ski slope to terminate at the River Avon in the east.

This proposal forms part of a programme which is intended to review and update the scheduling of the entire Antonine Wall, and rationalises the scheduling by descheduling areas where development has destroyed the remains of the Wall.

The Antonine Wall at this location consists of the rampart, the ditch, the berm (area between rampart and ditch), and the upcast mound. The ditch and upcast mound are clearly visible for much of the length of this section, and even where the line has been flattened out, substantial traces are likely to remain below ground level. There are the remains of at least three temporary camps sited between 200-400m to the south of the wall, which probably housed troops employed on construction of the frontier. These are scheduled separately.

The scheduling is divided into three sections. The first, running up the steep slope from the Millhall Burn, through Polmont Woods, is a well-preserved and upstanding section of the Wall, despite being wooded. This section has its eastern boundary at the water pumping station built directly on top of the Wall.

The second, longer section, runs from the reservoir immediately east of the pumping station, which has partially removed an area south of the Wall, through Grangemouth Golf course, and down the hill past the Polmont dry ski slope, to terminate at the minor road to the west of the ski slope. The Wall has been flattened in the area through the golf course, but the ditch remains visible immediately to the north of the dry ski slope. The third section is a small triangular area between the minor road and the River Avon.

The scheduled area is divided into three sections as described above, measuring a maximum of approximately (1) 364m in length by 69m in width; (2) 703m in length by 69m in width; and (3) 75m by 54m at its widest points, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

The scheduled area extends 25m north of the north lip of the ditch, and 20m south of the southern edge of the rampart, except where modern development has removed archaeological deposits (such as the pumping station and reservoir). The top 50cm of the surface of the paths within the scheduled area is excluded from the scheduling to enable minor repair and alterations to these areas without the need for scheduled monument consent.