Hadrian's Wall trail should include Newcastle's West End, says MP

Walkers following the path would miss out on remains such as Denton Turret

There are calls to include the urban route of Hadrian's Wall in a national tourist trail.

Hadrian's Wall Path does not follow the actual route of the Roman wall through the West End of Newcastle, where many remains can still be seen.

Instead walkers are directed down to the banks of the River Tyne.

Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Central, has now led a parliamentary debate calling for greater recognition for that part of the route.

Parts of the wall are still visible in the city's West End

The path, a National Trail, stretches 84 miles across the north of England, from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway and attracts about 10,000 walkers a year.

While it largely follows the path of the Roman structure, in Newcastle instead of going through the down the West Road, it detours to the riverside.

Rob Higgins, the local councillor for Benwell and Scotswood, said: "I wasn't part of the group that established the route, I only got to know about it later on.

"Possibly they thought walking along West Road, which is very busy with lots of traffic might not be attractive to walkers, the quayside had recently been developed so maybe they thought that would be more attractive.

"But virtually every housing estate round here has bits of the wall or ruins associated with it - there's Denton Turret, the Vallum, Benwell Temple."

The remains of a temple site are now surrounded by suburban gardens

Chi Onwurah said tourists following the trail miss out not just on many of the visible remains of the wall, but also on an area of the city which reflects the cultural diversity of the Wall in Roman times.

She is calling on the government to do more to promote the "true route of Hadrian's Wall", and to improve education and information such as plaques that emphasise the history of the wall and the diversity of Roman Newcastle.

'Vibrant and multicultural'

"Hadrian's Wall tends to conjure images of the wonderful Northumbrian countryside [but] the wall is and was an urban wall too", the MP said.

"It runs through the wonderful, vibrant, multicultural urban West End of Newcastle, but not everyone knows this."

This year marks the 1,900th anniversary of the building of the wall, with hundreds of events and activities set to run until 23 December, the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia.

Ms Onwurah added: "The celebrations are a great opportunity to represent the wall as it was then and now, and move away from the history of exclusion and elitism.

"We need to celebrate Hadrian's Wall in the West End - we need to promote all the wall."

A section of a crossing of the Vallum - a great ditch that protected the south of the wall - can be seen in a suburban cul-de-sac

Mr Higgins described the anniversary celebrations as an opportunity to raise the profile of West End section.

He said: "We've got already got local primary schools planning events, with artists in residence doing re-enactments, and pop-up events with community groups to get local people involved.

"The local history group is also doing a project... I think it might be taking people on simulated journey along the wall in that area.

"And we are hoping some of the beacons for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee will be in West End."