Hadrian’s Wall made more uneven to stop Instagrammers damaging while taking selfies

Part of Hadrian’s Wall has been made more uneven to prevent people from damaging it when clambering on it to take selfies.

Steel Rigg in Northumberland was placed on Historic England’s At-Risk Register after a three-foot section of the wall collapsed due to tourists climbing on it to take photos.

But the risk status has been reversed after the collapsed section was repaired and the surface of the wall was made more jagged to prevent future incidents.

dr. Jane Harrison, a community archaeologist working on the project, said the changes were made to make it “not so inviting” after part of the old wall near the parking lot collapsed.

“It’s just a weight of importance – people climb on it to walk on it, to take those nice pictures and the weight of the people has caused it to fall out and collapse,” she told BBC Radio Newcastle.

‘We all used to do’ [do it]I remember doing it, the problem is that the wall is so popular now and that particular piece has so many visitors that if they jump and walk on it, the wall collapses.’

The Roman archaeological site in the north of England is an iconic photo spot, but tourists have been warned that climbing on it could cause damage

She added, “They put a more uneven surface on the top of the wall, planted more tuff grass there, so it’s not as inviting.”

The wall is the largest Roman archaeological feature in the world, measuring 113 miles in length, and was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian in AD 122.

Despite signs warning visitors not to step on the wall, it is said that many are still clambering on the stones – which are as high as six feet in some places.

Local photographer and archaeologist Pete Savin recently warned that he has seen an increasing amount of damage to the wall, with busloads of people all climbing to the top to take photos.

He said: “Looks like the selfie on Hadrian’s Wall is everything, regardless of the damage they inadvertently cause.”

Several other parts of the World Heritage Site remain on the At-Risk Register, but another part at Port Carlisle in Cumbria has also been removed.

Steel Rigg in Northumberland was placed on Historic England’s At-Risk Register after part of the wall collapsed due to tourists climbing on it to take photos

Visitors climbing on top of the World Heritage Site caused a three-foot section of the wall to collapse (pictured), but it has now been repaired and the risk status has been reversed

Also off the list is the Grade 1 listed Holy Trinity Church in Sunderland, which has been converted into the Seventeen Nineteen Community Centre, named after the year it was built.

Also among the 233 sites that have survived are the ‘Dome of Home’ – a Catholic church at the entrance to the River Mersey – and the museum that houses the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.

But due to their deteriorating condition, 175 historic buildings and sites have been added to the Register, including Papplewick pumping station in Nottingham – England’s only pumping station to retain all of its original features – and King Arthur’s Great Halls in Tintagel.

A National Trust spokeswoman said the work at Steel Rigg was funded with a £1.17 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, while Historic England also awarded £8.66 million in repair grants to 185 locations in the registry.