Leahill Turret, Hadrian's Wall

Leahill Turret (designated 51b) is a Roman lookout tower on Hadrian's Wall near Banks in Cumbria, built shortly after 122 AD. Part of the standard system of two turrets per Roman mile, it was manned by a few soldiers watching over the frontier. The tower projects about a foot-and-a-half in front of the Wall line and was built before the rampart wall was connected to it. Dismantled under Septimius Severus and casually re-occupied in the late 4th century, it was rediscovered during 1927 excavations that also revealed the turf wall that preceded the later stone structure. A skeleton was uncovered during further excavations in 1958.