Milecastle 79

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Milecastle 79, also known as Solway House, is one of the small Roman fortlets that ran along Hadrian's Wall. It sits about 350 metres west of Field View Lane, to the west of Port Carlisle in Cumbria, England. Today there is no surface trace of the milecastle.

History and structure
- The site sits on slightly raised ground in a flood-prone area.
- In 1801, the antiquarian William Hutton described this area of Hadrian’s Wall, noting its length and height in places.
- Excavations in 1949 showed that Milecastle 79 began as a turf and timber fortlet built for the Turf Wall. Internally it measured roughly 14.9 by 12.5 metres.
- To cope with flooding, the milecastle stood on an artificial platform about 1.5 metres high.
- In the late 2nd century, it was rebuilt as a stone milecastle, about 17.7 metres square inside, with smaller gate openings. A timber-framed building was located in the eastern half.
- A second excavation in 1999 confirmed the 1949 findings and revealed the timber building inside the stone milecastle.

Turrets associated with Milecastle 79
- Each milecastle had two turrets placed roughly a third and two thirds of a Roman mile to the west. The turrets for Milecastle 79 are Turret 79A and Turret 79B.
- Turret 79A (location roughly NY23196229) has never been found. It is estimated to lie about 400 metres west of Milecastle 79 near a bend in the wall, where Hadrian’s Wall itself appears as a raised bank.
- Turret 79B, also known as Jeffrey Croft (NY22836256), is about 250 metres southeast of the east end of Bowness-on-Solway, in the field called Jeffrey Croft. A faint platform marks its position; it was partly excavated in 1934, revealing the south and west walls. It began as a free-standing stone tower beside the Turf Wall and is the westernmost turret on Hadrian’s Wall.