Chichester to Silchester Way
The Chichester to Silchester Way is a
Discovery
The existence of this road was unknown until 1949 when the archaeological division of the Ordnance Survey, while examining aerial photographs of the Milland area, noticed earthworks the size and shape of a Roman mansio, similar to those on Stane Street at Hardham and Alfoldean.[1] Because the mansio stood on the shortest of the road's alignments this gave few clues to the overall route, and much further investigation of aerial photographs and remains on the ground was needed to establish the whole route.[1][2]
Dating evidence
The road must be later than the Winchester to Silchester road, which it joins.[1]
Design and construction
A single alignment between the two cities would have taken the road across many feeder streams of the
The road was wider than average for Britain and well constructed, with a layer of
Margary number
The route
Chichester to West Lavant
Whether by chance or not the road starts from Chichester's north gate (50°50′24″N 0°46′44″W / 50.840°N 0.779°W) on an alignment aimed directly at Silchester. It is not known if this was planned or if it followed an existing Iron Age track to
West Lavant to Dunner Hill
At East Broyle Copse the road turns north on an alignment to Dunner Hill. It runs on or close to Brandy Hole Lane and passes on the west side of Lavant House School, from where Two Barns Lane runs upon it for about half a mile. Running up to Heathbarn Down, Margary found hedgerows on the line north of Binderton House and north from Henbush Copse. On the down the agger could be seen both on aerial photographs and on the ground, with outer ditches 60 feet apart. Undetectable past Hylters Farm, a slight agger is visible on Stapleash Down, then as a terraceway descending the down, the line passes east of Staple Ash Farm, then enters a wood called "The Ditches" where it can be traced as an agger then a terrace, then an agger again, as much as 30 feet wide with a lot of flint. In Linchball Wood the road curves a little to the east on a slight agger, just inside the western boundary of the wood, followed by a parish boundary, reaching its highest point at 217 metres (712 ft). Here there are commanding views north across the Western Weald and south to Chichester and the coast.
After crossing the ridgeway track, now the
Dunner Hill to Weavers Down
After zig-zagging down Dunner Hill the next alignment to Weavers Down begins. Traces of agger across Iping Marsh lead to the mansio site at Weston's Farm.[2] This was slightly smaller than the sites on Stane Street at Hardham and Alfoldean. The road is then in modern use through Milland to at least the northern end of the straight section, from where the line is uncertain until it can be found as a cutting, then a substantial causeway, at Chapel Common. Passing southwest of Hutfield Copse, the road crosses the Sussex Border Path and soon enters the army training area at Weavers Down, with traces of an agger with side ditches running up to the crest of the hill, which is crossed on an eroded terrace.[1]
Weavers Hill to Silchester
The road forms the central track of
In East Hampshire the road passed through a Roman wine-growing area, and was close to Alice Holt Forest, where pottery was produced on an industrial scale in Roman times. Alice Holt pottery has been found along the Sussex and Hampshire coast.[1][3]
See also
- Roman Britain
- Roman roads in Britain
References
- ^ ISBN 0-460-07742-2.
- ^ a b Petersfield Museum-section on roads Archived 4 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Alice Holt in the Roman Period-aliceholt.org Archived 5 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine