Gannin the Widdy Way
By Crasterfarian For as long as I can remember I’ve trotted up and doon the Coast Road, either for pleasure or for work. As I’ve headed… Read More »Gannin the Widdy Way
Crasterfarian
Bassus of Elmet
By Crasterfarian One of the earliest written works still available to us today is The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. It was written by the… Read More »Bassus of Elmet
Holy Cross Church, Wallsend: Echoes of Rome and Anglo-Saxon Faith
By Crasterfarian Tucked quietly above the wooded valley of the Wallsend Burn, on a high spur of land and buried in the back of a modern… Read More »Holy Cross Church, Wallsend: Echoes of Rome and Anglo-Saxon Faith
The Wall They Forgot to Rob — A Message for the New Year
By Crasterfarian Many people travel from all around the world to visit our World Heritage Site at Hadrian’s Wall, and rightly so. They “ooohh” and “ahhh”… Read More »The Wall They Forgot to Rob — A Message for the New Year
‘Ubbanford’ — Norham: Northumbria’s Gateway
By Crasterfarian Ubbanford, or Norham as it is now known, owes its existence to one simple, decisive fact: this is the closest reliable ford on the… Read More »‘Ubbanford’ — Norham: Northumbria’s Gateway
SOL INVICTUS: When Light Turns Back the Tide of Darkness
By Crasterfarian Long before Christmas had a name, before shepherds and kings, mangers and virgins, before carefully chosen dates, people here already knew this time of… Read More »SOL INVICTUS: When Light Turns Back the Tide of Darkness
The Whin Sill: Craster’s Ancient Spine
By Crasterfarian As a born and bred Crasterfarian, I’ve always wondered about the history of where I was brought up. The very fabric of the village… Read More »The Whin Sill: Craster’s Ancient Spine
Nova Scotia: Dunstanburgh’s Sea-Gate
By Crasterfarian Tucked below the Great Keep and South Wall of Dunstanburgh Castle lies an inlet locals call Nova Scotia, the Castle’s little harbour. Visitors’ eyes… Read More »Nova Scotia: Dunstanburgh’s Sea-Gate
Roman Pragmatism and Experimentation in the North
By The Crasterfarian When people picture a Roman fort, they often imagine the neat, playing-card rectangle that appears in every textbook. It’s a shape built on… Read More »Roman Pragmatism and Experimentation in the North
The Coquet Roman Complex: A Forgotten Artery of the Frontier
A Theory by The Crasterfarian and Anthony Simm Background The River Coquet is absent from conventional accounts of Roman military infrastructure in Northumberland. Yet when… Read More »The Coquet Roman Complex: A Forgotten Artery of the Frontier