Roman Road Winchester to Chichester

Newly found 40' lane

In Survey 12, Up to Teglease Down published in e News 11, Spring 2015, it was concluded that the 40' Roman lane had taken a completely different route from the two lanes we had surveyed from Exton under the southern slopes of Old Winchester Hill. It was straightforward to trace this on the lane over Westend Down, down a Zig Zag to Stock's Lane and back to Exton. These are being added to the Survey Maps 10 - 11. This route can be followed on the 1" : 1 mile map. The difficulty was finding how it crossed the flood plain of the r Meon, and joined up with the Roman Road from the White Way.

The Roman lanes coming down the White Way, and turning towards an E - W direction as 2 lanes are described in Survey 9 (Ref 1). The new 40' is added in the SE corner of the above Survey 9 Map. There is some air photo evidence linking Beacon Hill Lane (which is deeply sunken running though Exton down to the river) with the White Way. But this would involve going up and down the valley for which the substantial causeway on the above Survey 9 Map was designed to bridge - the branch off was likely to be beyond this. More LIDAR was obtained to see if remains of the causeway which was likely to be constructed across the flood plain showed up. Interestingly this found more of the two lanes already found, and more is seen in the black and white print than in the colour print. A problem is that the line is likely to go through houses and gardens. This line is also crossing the joins in the maps we are using to publish.

The last alignment of Stock's Lane on Survey Map 10 before the railway was continued over the map joins and the flood plain. This consisted of two ditches, and the southern edge of the build-up which is visible just west of the railway. These lines are left visible on the above Survey Map 9. Large scale air photos were obtained (Ref 2).

LIDAR (Ref 3 - black & white) showed a feature associated with the build-up and central roadway over the flood plain from the A32 to the river. It was a series of light and dark lines running in the road's direction. On the colour print this area was bounded by thin light lines outside the roadway (the light and dark lines of the black & white print did not show). It is not possible to interpret what these LIDAR features mean, except to say that these projected lines of the Roman Road appear to be followed by these LIDAR features. On the above Survey Map 9 the only feature showing is the northern light line of the colour print, which is the line of fine dots in the SE corner.

From the air photograph, the line of the northern ditch shows up as a dark line in the field up to Allens Farm Lane, and continues in the field west of the lane. These are shown as black lines of the approximate width on the above map. The lane itself has a huge bump in it associated with the projected build-up line (this we had noticed before - it is not shown as the lane in the above map is too small). In the field there is a large build-up to the north of the projected build-up line (some of this may be natural). Along the projected build-up line is a thin light air photo line [view obliquely into desk light, weak magnifier]. This light line is probably a revetment, and we show an optical build-up running along this light line.

These features only run part way into this field. The contrast enhanced air photo then shows a thin light line running parallel to a thicker dark line running northwards. The dark line joins with the dark line of the Stocks Lane alignment. The build-up of the Stocks Lane alignment bends northwards to become a build-up running northwards. The ground is flat from the build-up to the lane (running under the Sketch Section). This is likely to be why this was chosen to link the 40' Roman lane to that coming from the White way to that of the Stocks Lane alignment. The light line running north is probably a revetment, and we show the build-up running along it. The line runs into a house and garden north of Beacon Hill Lane.

This problem has been solved by taking a possible line, recovering features along it, which then lead to substantial ground features which indicate the Road's course.

Garden

The new northerly route now runs through a garden before meeting the route from the White Way. The air photo shows nothing. This garden was examined with the kind permission of Mr & Mrs Martin. The southern E - W route shows up clearly over the lawn, with a southern build-up and a probable revetment, and a northern ditch. But these faded out at the spot where the new 40' lane from the south passes over. These are shown in the attached drawing http://www.nehhas.org.uk/rrch9nch.htm Features 5 & 7, and 8 & 9. The ground is flat in the direction of motion of the new 40' lane, and the effect on the southern E - W lane is the only evidence.

On the same drawing there is evidence of a further lane over the lawn to the east of the house, with a ditch to the north - features 2 & 3 on the drawing. The Ref 2 air photo has a dark line in the field to the east, Feature 5 on the drawing, with a light line between Features 2 & 3. However these do not go to a position of the eastern field boundary which would accord with the northern Roman lane on the above Survey Map 9.

These were investigated on the ground, and plotted on a Plan made from the Ref 2 air phto - which is likely to be more accurate than the OS map. This is shown at http://www.nehhas.org.uk/rrch9nl.htm. Feature 3 is the course of the light air photo line mentioned in the last paragraph, to the eastern boundary of the field. Nothing however could be seen here. But 100' to the west a ledge appears in binoculars, illustrated in the Sketch Section at the top of the Plan. There is an optical ditch between the ledge and the large feature, assumed to be the main Roman lane in the above Survey Map 9, whose course is indicated by the figures 2 on the Plan. The light air photo line is bounded by dark lines, especially in the west of the field. Where these dark lines are shown on the Plan the feature becomes a swelling visible in binoculars, and possibly with a naked eye. It seems there is likely to be three Roman lanes going E - W, not two as in the above Survey Map 9. At the eastern field boundary this feature 3 lane is likely to be buried by erosion products from the main lane above it - this was found in the Ref 4 excavation.

The ditch across the lawn east of the house, feature 4 on the Plan, was found to be parallel to the field boundary and presumed course of the main Roman lane - and is probably the same feature as the optical ditch in the Sketch Section on the Plan. Confirming these by excavation is being discussed with the landowner. Richard Whaley

REFERENCES

1. Survey 9, http://www.nehhas.org.uk/rrch9.htm, FAB e News 8, Autumn 2013, NEHHAS Jn Vol 8, No.9, 2015.

2. www.bing.com air photo Exton gettamapping plc 2015 aprox 1: 7,500

3. LIDAR, Environment Agency, SU 61 20, colour print (usual), black and white

4. Two Lane Highway found in Holt Pound, NEHHAS Jn 3 No. 5a http://www.nehhas.org.uk/hp07-8j.htm

5. Survey 10 . http://www.nehhas.org.uk/rrch10.htm, Survey 11 http://www.nehhas.org.uk/rrch11.htm, FAB e News 9, Summer 2014.