Anglo-Saxon Romsey
The Evidence in the Landscape
The Roman Road from Winchester to Stoney Cross
by Jane Powell
In 1914 the Hampshire Field Club published an article ‘Notes on Roman Roads in the South of Hants’ by J P Williams-Freeman (Vol 7, part 1, 1914). It describes the route of Roman road no. 422 (I D Margary numbering) from Winchester to the New Forest using notes given to him by O G S Crawford who carried out the fieldwork between October 1912 and January 1913. Some 110 years later, it seemed an interesting exercise to try to detect the line of the road, with Crawford’s notes as my guide, using modern tools such as LiDAR and Google mapping, together with the National Library of Scotland map images.
Both Crawford’s and Williams-Freeman’s efforts to find the routes and remains of Roman roads were extraordinary, with countless hours of fieldwork undertaken. In marked contrast, my own exploration was mostly the opposite to theirs – in part because, although we may have the benefit of technological advances, they did not face the modern day limitations of both accessibility and the vast amount of development which now obscures the archaeology that was visible in the early 20th century. I often think that, as a pioneer of aerial photography, how wonderful it would have been for Crawford to have known the gift of LiDAR.
Crawford begins his notes with the Roman road leaving Winchester and following the road to Southampton for four miles. This is presumably modern-day St Cross Road (B3335) which runs to the roundabout at Compton, crosses over it and continues as Otterbourne Road through Shawford to Poles Lane roundabout in Otterbourne (this would be an approximate distance of four miles). Just after the roundabout at Compton there is a bank on the right-hand side that is probably on the line of the Roman road and it continues through Compton to Shawford – obviously minus the section across the M3. The bank is visible on LiDAR as a double row of trees (Figs.1 & 2).
Fig. 1 The bank at Compton.
Fig. 2 The arrows indicate the bank beside Otterbourne Road at Compton.
South of what was Shawford golf course (in the vicinity of Southdown Road) Crawford was able to trace the Roman road on the east side of the present Otterbourne Road to Poles Lane roundabout although, even at that date, he notes that the entrances to a number of new houses had been built upon it. Subsequent development precludes any detection of it today, either on the ground or by the use of LiDAR. It is speculative whether remains are to be found in the woodland between Grove Road and Sparrowgrove. The road continues across Poles Lane roundabout and through Otterbourne to the Old Forge restaurant where its course then diverges from the modern Main Road on an easterly parallel. Crawford states that in the grounds of Otterbourne House the road bifurcates – the road to the New Forest (no. 422) going off at a tangent in a south-westerly direction to approximately follow again the line of Main Road to the top of Otterbourne Hill. The continuation of the line of the original road then becomes the Roman road to Bitterne no. 42b (I D Margary numbering). Whilst acknowledging that Crawford was better able, at that time, to detect the route of the road, I think it likely that it bifurcated at the Old Forge restaurant.
Between the restaurant and Kiln Lane neither of the roads are apparent on LiDAR. However, from Kiln Lane to Otterbourne Park Wood what has now become the Bitterne road no. 42b is clearly visible on LiDAR. On reaching the top of Otterbourne Hill the New Forest Roman road no. 422 was seen by Crawford on the green by Chapel Lane as a section of rounded Tertiary beach pebbles 100 yards in length, although this section is not now easily discernible on the ground. On the area of green in front of The Otter pub there is a slightly raised bank and a corresponding trace on the LiDAR which may indicate the road-line (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3 The orange arrows show the Roman road to Bitterne no. 42b (ID Margary numbering) ascending the hill from Kiln Lane to Otterbourne Park Wood. The blue arrow points to what is likely to be the Roman road no. 422 to the New Forest after bifurcation from the original road from Winchester.
From this point the road continues on a south-westerly line, and Crawford found it again in a field near Pitmore Farm. This is marked on the OS 6-inch 1949-1973 edition map, but it now lies under the car-parking bays in front of the Wessex Nuffield Hospital in Winchester Road, Chandlers Ford. He was also able to see it clearly along the east side of Winchester Road and noted that it passed through Leech Pond which is the area of green in front of Roman Close and opposite to Merdon Avenue (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4 Site of Leech Pond, Winchester Road, Chandlers Ford.
Although Crawford continued to trace the road on the ground as far as the railway line at the Hursley Road roundabout, there is no way of detecting this stretch of road in the modern landscape as it has all been built upon. It crosses the railway line into Bournemouth Road approximately at the entrance to Chandlers Ford Central Club. On reaching the other side of the railway line its continuation was visible to Crawford as a ridge covered with white stones in allotment ground at the rear of houses on Bournemouth Road. This area now lies beneath the premises of Selwood. After this, even Crawford was defeated in his efforts to trace the road when it disappeared across the area that was then the brickworks and is now Chandlers Ford Industrial Estate and, likewise, there is no sign of this section of the road in the modern day landscape. He was able to find it again to the west of Titlark Farm (now demolished), initially as a white streak and then as a ridge across the fields. Nowadays it is not found until it reaches Eagle Close where it is visible on LiDAR in the green corridor running from Eagle Close to Castle Lane (Fig. 5).
Fig. 5 The green corridor from Eagle Close to Castle Lane. The orange arrows denote the line of the Roman road.
Fig.6 In 1982 a 2m wide section of the Roman road just south of Eagle Close was excavated (Hants Field Club Vol 42, 1986).
From Castle Lane the road is temporarily lost under housing but then re-emerges, and is seen on the LiDAR, south of Templars Way running diagonally across the fields west of Velmore Farm and into Hut Wood. Crawford notes that almost immediately after entering the wood it takes a slight bend to the west and continues up the hill through Marshall’s Row where its line is potentially to be seen on LiDAR (Fig. 7). He had the advantage of access to the garden of Chilworth Court, a property on Chilworth Road approximately 150m east of the Chilworth Arms public house, where he detected the ridge of the road. He then found it on land behind the Chilworth Arms, but today this is not visible on the ground or on LiDAR. From here it was assumed to run roughly on a similar line to Manor Road and continued across what was then a field south of Chilworth Manor. Today, this section is now untraceable as it is covered by the buildings of Chilworth Science Park and the M27.
Fig. 7 The orange arrows show the line of the road from Eagle Close (top right corner) and across fields to the west of Velmore Farm. On entering Hut Wood it turns slightly west before continuing up through Marshall's Row to the Chilworth Arms.
Fig. 7b The red dotted line marks the route of the Roman road through Chilworth which was traced by O G S Crawford in 1912. The old turnpike road is misleadingly named 'Roman Road' on modern maps. It runs in a straight line to the south of the modern main road.
Fig. 7c The turnpike road on the 1850 map is marked by the red dotted line. It carried traffic heading north-west from Swaythling and Bassett, down behind the church into Chilworth Old Village and continuing along Botley Road towards Romsey. The turnpike road is one of the roads shown crossing the common on the 1755 Chilworth estate map. It is not a Roman road.
Once across the M27 the road is again visible on LiDAR heading diagonally through Matthews Moor to Dymers Wood. Crossing Tanners Brook it continues across a field to run along the northwest edge of Clams Copse (Fig. 8). At this point the road has suffered a degree of impingement from the Broadleaf Park housing development, but it continues on until it meets Rownhams Lane near to the junction of Bakers Drove.
Fig. 8 The continuation of the Roman road can be seen south of the M27 at Chilworth through to the junction of Rownhams Lane with Bakers Drove.
From this point south to Romsey Road the road is not traceable but it is estimated to run roughly parallel to Bakers Drove on its west side. On reaching Romsey Road the OS 6-inch 1949-1973 edition map has marked on it a small ridge nearly opposite what was the site of Webber’s Garage and this may possibly be a section of the road. This being the case, the projected line would take it across the play area at Joe Bigwood Close and into the north east corner of Home Covert, continuing south through the wood to Nursling Industrial Estate. Crawford comments that he noted a stony ridge in Home Covert and that it appeared likely the road emerged from the wood at the old Adanac Farm. From here he conjectures it followed a south-westerly direction parallel to an old footpath towards Weston Lane. On this assumption, it would have met Weston Lane at a point just south of the railway bridge and also at the southern edge of the supposed site of the Roman settlement at Nursling. Nowadays it is impossible to trace the route of the Roman road from Home Covert to west of the River Test. Crawford was convinced that the river crossing would have been in the vicinity of Nursling Mill and archaeologist Karen Anderson concurs that this is a possibility as the spur of land occupied by the mill would make this a logical crossing point.
West of the Test Crawford does not find evidence of the road again until Shornhill Great Fir Plantation. However, LiDAR may indicate its presence before this by a line across the angle of the junction of the Hill Street road with Salisbury Road (A36) and its continuation across a field to the south of Salisbury Road in a diagonal line from the north east corner to the south west corner. A projected line would then take it across Pauletts Lane, touching the north-west corner of Paulet’s farm house, and on to Shornhill Great Fir Plantation (Fig. 9).
Fig. 9 The arrows show a feature on the LiDAR and a corresponding mark across the same field. After crossing the river at an unknown point (possibly Nursling Mill) is this the first indication of the continuation of the Roman road west of the Test?
In the south west corner of the plantation the road is quite distinct on the LiDAR. It emerges from the wood and crosses Whitemoor Lane, passing immediately south of ‘Clock Cottage’ and then continues on to cross Barrow Hill Road north of ‘Roseleigh’ and across three consecutive fields where it is once again seen plainly on the LiDAR. Crawford describes it here as measuring 15ft across the top and double that width at the base (Fig. 10).
Fig. 10 Shornhill Great Fir plantation to Pound Lane, Copythorne.
The road meets Pound Lane, Copythorne at a point near to the drive of Brooksbank House. In the field west of Brooksbank it appears to curve round an area of marshy ground and then resumes on a south-westerly course running parallel to the west side of Vicarage Lane. It crosses Pollards Moor Road and runs parallel to a hedge line across Pollards Moor to Old Lyndhurst Road, Cadnam. This section is clearly visible on the LiDAR and corresponds to the measurements given by Crawford i.e. 2100ft in length with the distance from the hedge-line initially 80ft increasing to 140ft as it reaches Old Lyndhurst Road (Fig. 11). From here the direction changes slightly, and Crawford surmised that it reached Romsey Road possibly where the filling station is now located and then continued on the west side of Romsey Road as far as the junction with Old Romsey Road.
Fig. 11 Pound Lane, Copythorne to Old Lyndhurst Road, Cadnam.
The road then proceeds south-west passing in front of the White Hart pub, across the adjacent field, and west of ‘Chapel House’ in Southampton Road (west of Cadnam roundabout). It continues across the A31 and into Rockram Wood, still maintaining a south-westerly course, and in Rockram Wood a 400m long section is visible on the LiDAR. At a point approximately 300m south of the M27 Cadnam Interchange the direction changes to the north, crossing the M27 and entering Bignell Wood where it then bends back to a south-westerly course, running parallel to the M27 and heading for Malwood Farm (Fig. 12).
Fig. 12 Cadnam - Rockram Wood to Bignell Wood. OS 6-inch 1949-1973 map edition with background Google aerial image and National Library of Scotland LiDAR image.
At Malwood Farm the road crosses the entrance drive to the farm and continues on towards Castle Malwood, passing the western corner of the earthwork. From here it is not possible to detect its presence on LiDAR. Crawford suggests that just south of Castle Malwood it turned west and this supposition was reinforced when he found evidence of it crossing a cart track at a location approximately 140m south of the A31 and west of the present day Scottish & Southern Electricity depot (Fig. 13). Slightly further west he located it again to the south of what was then the Compton Arms public house and is now the Stoney Cross Travelodge, and he then traced its continuation on to Little Stoney Cross where the A31 bends south-west to Ringwood. At this point Crawford failed to trace it further but had no doubt it followed a route along the high ground to Ringwood.
Fig. 13 Stoney Cross - OS 6-inch 1949-1973 map edition with background Google aerial image.
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