The astonishing discovery dating back to 1900 came after workers at Northumbrian Water were replacing the power grid in West Road near Newcastle, England.
During routine work, a team from the water company uncovered a three-meter-long section of Hadrian’s famous wall located below ground level, east of the roundabout to Pole Lunen.
The newly discovered portion of the wall is believed to date from one of the early stages of the landmark as it was built using such large stone blocks, while the later stages used much smaller pieces of stone.
Northumbrian Water was implementing part of a £5 million project to improve tap water quality for nearly half a million customers in Tyneside when the discovery was made.
Graeme Ridley, Northumbrian Water Project Manager, said: “It is amazing that we were able to make this remarkable discovery, and we are thrilled to be working with archaeological research services to ensure it is properly protected, moving forward.
“We have completed work in the area and this vital work has been carried out with the aim of protecting our water supply in the future and ensuring that our customers continue to receive premium, high quality tap water.”
Philippa Hunter of Archaeological Research Services Ltd said: “Although the path of Hadrian’s Wall is well documented in this area of the city, it is always exciting when we find the remains of the wall and have the opportunity to learn more about this internationally important site.
This is especially true in this case where we believe we have detected part of the early stage of the wall. It is always a pleasure to work closely with Northumbrian Water, which takes the preservation of archaeological remains like these very seriously.”
Northumbrian Water said the water pipe could be angled to leave a plug around the dug trench.
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