In 787, King Offa of Mercia ordered one of the largest construction projects in the History of Britain. Pieces of Offa's Dyke can still me seen today.
In the time known as the dark ages of Britain, between the retreat of the Roman Empire and the coming of the Vikings, England was divided into a handful of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. These kingdoms were in nearly constant conflict with one another, each of their kings trying to lay claim to the title of Bretwalda, Britain Wielder.
In the year 757 through a series of murders and civil war, a man named Offa claimed the kingship of Mercia and the title of Bretwalda, and in so doing became one of the most powerful men of his age. Yet little is know of his reign, except for one huge monument.
After suffering years of raids and attacks from his Welsh neighbours, Offa ordered the construction of a dyke that would stretch from one sea to the other, separating the Welsh from the rest of Britain. There is no records of how exactly Offa's Dyke was constructed, how long it took, or how many people were involved, but it is safe to say that it must have been the largest undertaking in the history of Britain up to that point. The word dyke is perhaps not a strong enough term to understand the breadth of the project, and The Great Wall of Wales might better convey it. At the time of its completion, Offa's Dyke stretched around 150 miles from sea to sea. It consisted of a great ditch dug nearly twenty feet deep and topped by an earth wall some eight feet high. It is now thought that part or all of the wall may have been topped with wooden palisades or stone walls. In places, the dyke was as much as 65 feet wide. Although there are gaps in the dyke at various points, it is now thought that these gaps were likely protected by fortresses and were purposely left to allow legitimate movement between England and Wales.
Today the dyke is little known outside of Wales, where some still consider it the unofficial border between the two countries. Large sections of the dyke still existed, but being overgrown with grass and trees it lacks the imposing nature that it must have had when it was constructed. Research continues into the construction of the dyke and the Offa's Dyke Trail has become a popular spot for casual and long-distance hikers.
