all photographs © Kirsty Ferry 2012
This page may help you visualise the interlinking worlds of Liv, Meggie and Aemelia from The Memory of Snow, showing you the area as it appears now. The book is set on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland.
Image above - people walking on the remains of Carrawburgh Fort, January 2012.
Coventina's Well
Coventina's Well - or what's left of it. Try to imagine it as a shrine, within
walls, and lying at the edge of a Roman vicus. This is where they excavated in
the nineteenth century and discovered loads of broken altars and sacred
offerings ...but nobody is really sure why these items were destroyed in such a
way and thrown into the sacred well.
walls, and lying at the edge of a Roman vicus. This is where they excavated in
the nineteenth century and discovered loads of broken altars and sacred
offerings ...but nobody is really sure why these items were destroyed in such a
way and thrown into the sacred well.
Carrawburgh Fort
The area of Brocolitia Fort, or Carrawburgh, looking up from Coventina's Well. This has been
excavated in the past, but was simply left to rack and ruin after that and
backfilled. The ceilings of the buildings and all the roof tiles and bricks are
apparently collapsed and piled up inside it.
excavated in the past, but was simply left to rack and ruin after that and
backfilled. The ceilings of the buildings and all the roof tiles and bricks are
apparently collapsed and piled up inside it.
Meggie's Dene Burn
Meggie's Dene Burn - the stepping stones across it. The legend is that a witches
ashes were thrown into this burn...
ashes were thrown into this burn...
Another view of Meggie's Dene Burn
Coventina's Well is the spring which feeds this burn, and the stream runs down to where the Shrine of the Water Nymphs was.
Brocolitia Mithraic Temple
The Mithraic Temple and the three altars - all this was submerged when the Well
and the Burn flooded and the landscape around it caved in hundreds of years ago.
The remains were preserved because of the water and the peat which covered it.
This is how soggy it was after a bit of heavy rain, even with the new drainage
systems in it, so you can see how easily it would have flooded over time.
and the Burn flooded and the landscape around it caved in hundreds of years ago.
The remains were preserved because of the water and the peat which covered it.
This is how soggy it was after a bit of heavy rain, even with the new drainage
systems in it, so you can see how easily it would have flooded over time.
The Shrine of the Water Nymphs
This is where I think the Shrine of the Water Nymphs was. Stand with your
back to the temple and look in the direction of the Burn as it runs off towards
the River South Tyne, a good few miles away. It's a shame there is nothing left of the Shrine nowadays.
back to the temple and look in the direction of the Burn as it runs off towards
the River South Tyne, a good few miles away. It's a shame there is nothing left of the Shrine nowadays.
Meggie's House
Meggie did exist and she lived at Newbrough, just past Hexham. This spot, up a winding little road and out onto the fields is where the locals think she lived. 'Look behind the barn, and where you see the stones, that's where her house was.'
Meggie's Grave
Meggie is supposed to be buried in this area here, across the fields, towards Meggie's Dene Burn. A thorn tree is said to mark the spot - but there are lots of thorn trees and it's impossible to tell which one is hers. One girl in the village told me the spot was marked with a rose tree - but none were blooming the day I went; so again, Meggie is more of a mystery than ever.
