Monument record 447/1/14 - Romano-British Agger With Possible Drains

A length of well-preserved agger of Watling Street. In the 1930s a thick layer of gravel was noted, with a layer of cobbles at the base. A drain, passing tranversely beneath the agger, was also observed.

{1} At SP569733 the next section of the A5 road, which is now the approach road to the M1 Crick interchange, swings away from the Roman road alignment. Here for a distance of 350m the original agger is well-preserved as an embankment, up to 16m wide x 1.25m high, with a flat top 5m across. There are no traces of side ditches. At the north end this agger has been damaged by a modern open drain which was cut into its north-eastern edge. In 1931 it was recorded that sections through the agger were visible in the side of the ditch but nothing can be seen now. "Gravel a yard deep" is recorded, with a layer of large cobble stones at the base in the clay subsoil. In the 1930s what appeared to be a drain was seen in one of these sections, passing traversely under the agger. It had well built vertical walls roofed with flat stones. This may have been an original drain or culvert, but this was not confirmed.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.206 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<2> CODRINGTON, 1931, Roman Roads in Britain, p.64 (unchecked) (Book). SNN58033.

Record last edited

Nov 9 2020 11:34AM