Limestone Corner
| Limestone Corner | |
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The wall ditch at Limestone Corner
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 Limestone Corner
 Limestone Corner shown within Northumberland |
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| OS grid reference | NY87667159 |
| Coordinates | 55°02′19″N 2°11′40″W / 55.038722°N 2.194560°WCoordinates: 55°02′19″N 2°11′40″W / 55.038722°N 2.194560°W |
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Limestone Corner is an area of Hadrian's Wall (and associated defences) at its most northerly point, in present-day Great Britain. It represents the most northerly point of the Roman Empire, outside the two periods during which the Antonine Wall was occupied by the Roman military. Other notable features at Limestone Corner are the wall ditch at this point, which was never completely excavated, a Roman camp and the site of Milecastle 30. Also present is a trig point. The B6318 Military Road also runs through Limestone Corner, as does the Military Way, serving Milecastle 30. The Military Way is visible on the ground at this point, the most eastern point where this is the case.
The name Limestone Corner is not an official geographical name for the area and does not appear on official maps; the hill on which it stands is known as Teppermoor Hill. 'Limestone Corner' has become accepted through extensive usage.
Despite the name, the rock in the area is not actually limestone; it is volcanic quartz-dolerite whinstone. Teppermoor Hill, on which Limestone Corner stands, is the eastern outlier of the Whin Sill.
Moving west along the escarpment, a glacial surface drift of boulder clay begins to overlay the whinstone. To the east, the whinstone lies just below the current turf line approximately as far as Turret 29A.
The wall ditch at this point was not completed when first cut. At a point due north of the trig point, only a small amount of topsoil has been removed. A short distance west of this point, significant whinstone blocks remain in the ditch, with others deposited on its northern lip. One large rock provides clues to the methods used by the Legionary engineers to cut the rock. Holes have been drilled (or cut) into a vein of quartz on the rock's upper surface. Wedges were then hammered into the holes to allow the rocks to cleave along the weakness provided by the quartz vein. Two iron wedges were discovered within the wall core at Milecastle 26, consisting of steel-faced tips, and soft heads for hammering. It has also been suggested that wooden wedges were used. After driving the wedges into the hole, water was poured onto the wedges, causing expansion.
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Wikipedia