Solway Plain

The Solway Plain is a low-lying coastal plain in the northwest of Cumbria, England. It is an area generally lying north and west of Carlisle along the Solway Firth and drained by the rivers Esk and Lynne. This geographic unit is associated with the westernmost part of Hadrian's Wall [ [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.001002003004002001001004 "Hadrian's Wall NMP - Solway Plain", English Heritage] ] . In the western part of England (e.g. on the Solway Plain), Hadrian's Wall was initially constructed chiefly of turf and timber, due to the paucity of stones on the Solway Plain [C.Michael Hogan (2007) "Hadrian's Wall", ed. Andy Burnham, Megalithic Portal [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18177] ] . In medieval times clay houses known as "dabbins" were commonly built on the Solway Plain [ [http://www.vag.org.uk/VAarticles/clay-dabbins.htm Nina Jennings, "The Building of the Clay Dabbins of the Solway Plain: Materials and Man-Hours", Vernacular Architecture 33 (2002), 19-27] ] . The Solway Coast is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty [ [http://solwaycoastaonb.org.uk/ Solway Coast AONB] ] .

The area has a recognised archaeological heritage. Sites mentioned in Hodgson and Brennand [ [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/archaeology/arf/documents/PREHISTORICASSESSMENT.pdf North West Region Archaeological Research Framework Prehistoric Resource Assessment] ] include a possible domestic settlement at Plasketlands, urned cremation cemeteries at Ewanrigg, and a potential pre-Roman phase of occupation at several sites, including Ewanrigg, Wolsty Hall and Boustead Hill.

ee also

*Stanegate

References