Shropshire Routes to Roots

3. Roman roads

Introduction

In 43 A.D., when the Romans conquered Britain, the existing communication system consisted of a few badly maintained tracks linking villages and communities. There were almost no long distant routes for the military to use. This would have been a problem for the Roman administrators whose campaign depended upon linking and supplying their forts and camps, as well as the swift movement of their troops along the frontier. To achieve this they built a comprehensive system of roads. Once the front line of roads had been established the Roman engineers began to link the economic centres such as ports and industries, and eventually to build local roads which connected villas, farms and villages.

Watling Street running towards Wroxeter Larger image, in a new window [26kb] [Reproduced with kind permission of Shropshire County Council Archaeology Service]

This aerial photograph shows the line of Watling Street looking North East towards Wroxeter. Watling street, seen here as a dark green line, was one of the first major Roman roads. It was built in the middle of the 1st century A.D. not long after the Conquest of Britain. It ran from Holyhead on the Welsh coast, to the Roman forts of Wroxeter and Leintwardine in Shropshire, and from there all the way down to London. Much of the road is still in use today.

How can we tell if a road is Roman?

The Romans were brilliant engineers and surveyors. They built their roads between areas of importance. The quickest and cheapest route is that which is straightest. Consequently Roman roads tend to be straight. If you look at a map of the forts and settlements in Roman Britain, many do not appear to be linked by any roads. Do you think this is likely? Almost certainly the Romans had built roads to link them, but 2000 years later they are no longer visible in the landscape.

Are any Roman roads still visible in the Shropshire landscape?

In Shropshire, three Roman routes can be followed today. The map on the right shows the position of these roads. The first is Watling Street which linked Wroxeter with Redhill (Uxacoma) and Pencridge (Pennocrucium) and then onto London along the route now known as the A5. From Wroxeter Watling Street ran north-west towards Whitchurch where it divided. The North-west route continued onto Chester and the Wirral, while the North-east division crossed the Mersey and continued as the West coast road. To the south of Shrewsbury is a second road which crosses the River Severn near Montgomery. This was known as Forden Gaer. The third road is Watling Street West which from Wroxeter ran to Kenchester via Leintwardine and on to Usk in South Wales.

Three Roman roads in Shropshire Larger image, in a new window [39kb] [Reproduced with kind permission of Shropshire County Council Archaeology Service]

Are there any other clues about whether a road is Roman in origin?

Another clue as to whether a Road is Roman is in place names. The word Stretton is Middle-English meaning 'town close to a road'. There are other similar names such as Church Stretton and Stoney Stretton. Parish boundaries will also often run along old Roman roads.

How did the Romans make their roads straight?

The Romans had very simple but effective surveying techniques. Take two poles and place them in the ground; this forms an invisible line. If you take a third pole and place it so they all line up, you will have created a straight line. This is exactly what the Romans did, but they did it for miles!

Even more cleverly, the Romans could create straight roads between areas they could not even see. Fires and beacons were used to make sightings which were visible for miles. They used beacons like ranging rods by placing them in line with each other.

But how did they know where they were going?

The Romans also used a simple instrument called a groma. This was like a big stick with a cross like propeller at right angles on top. From each of the cross ends hung a small weight, or plumb bob. All the surveyor needed to do was line up one of the strings with the starting pole and the next point. The groma could be used to mark out straight lines and right angles.

How were Roman roads constructed?

Roman Road builders Larger image, in a new window [47kb] [Reproduced with kind permission of the family of Sheila Sancha]

For the Romans, building a road was a massive public work. First they cleared the ground of rocks and trees. Next they dug a trench where the road was to go. To create a firm base they put in large stones and on top of this another layer of cement and broken tiles. Finally the road was metalled. Kerb stones were placed at the edge of the road to make a channel for water to flow away.

The image on the right shows a Roman Road under excavation. This road ran to the Roman fort at Pentreheyling, near Brompton. In the photograph you can see the broken stones and the edge of the road. A typical Roman road had a hump or agger which was formed by ditches on either side. A steep camber or slope to the side of the road prevented water from settling. Most of the material for constructing the road was found locally, often being dug from the side ditches. In some districts where iron was mined the slag, material which was left over from smelting metal, was used to surface the roads.

Roman Road under excavation Larger image, in a new window [40kb] [Reproduced with kind permission of Shropshire County Council Archaeology Service]

Watling Street, Church Stretton Larger image, in a new window [60kb] [Reproduced with kind permission of Shropshire County Council Archaeology Service]

This photograph is of part of Watling Street, near Church Stretton. Here it runs as a quiet country lane. The road is characteristically straight. The hedges mark the position of the boundary ditches which were dug for drainage and to provide stone for the road.

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