A PROJECT to promote the Antonine Wall and its history through Clydebank and West Dunbartonshire has been given lottery support.

“Rediscovering the Antonine Wall” will be led by the local authority along with other councils and Historic Environment Scotland to engage local communities along the length of the World Heritage Site.

The plan is to find proposals for Roman-themed play spaces, replica stone slabs to mark distance points along the route, and a community-led video tour of the wall.

This will include the exposed wall rampart in Goldenhill Park in Clydebank, council officials said.

The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded development cash of £97,000 to help West Dunbartonshire Council move the plans forward and apply for a full grant next year.

A project manager, Emma McMullen, has been appointed for what would be a three-year plan including five replica distance slabs, new interpretive play areas, arts events and even recruiting a “21st century legion” to promote the wall locally.

Councillor Ian Dickson, convener of corporate services, said: “The Antonine Wall is a brilliant educational tool to have right on our doorstep and the section of the Wall which is within Goldenhill Park is an important part of the rich heritage we have in West Dunbartonshire.

“Rediscovering the Antonine Wall is a fantastic project which will fully engage and educate our communities and I look forward to seeing the plans for full funding progress now that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given this initial funding.”

The Antonine Wall, built in the second century AD, is one part of the much larger Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site (FREWHS), alongside Hadrian’s Wall and the German Limes.

Extending 37 miles from Old Kilpatrick in the west to Carriden in Falkirk to the east, the Antonine Wall represents the most north-westerly extent of the Roman Empire’s general system of defence.

Today, visitors can explore traces of ramparts, steep ditches, and the remains of forts and bathhouses – and imagine what life was like for the Romans posted on this remote frontier.

Lucy Casot, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “Stretching from one side of the country to the other, what was once built as a barrier will bring the communities along its length together to explore and celebrate their shared heritage thanks to funding from the National Lottery.

“It’s an opportunity to raise the profile of this incredible feat of construction while benefitting communities across five regions of Scotland. We are excited to see the plans develop.”