Monument record 726/18 - Probable Romano-British Temple, Park Street

In 1976, excavations on Park Street discovered a sequence of buildings beginning in the late 1st century AD and possibly continuing into the 4th century AD. Part of a pentagonal-shaped building, constructed in c75 AD, was initially interpreted as a public building such as a mansio, but has been re-interpreted as a temple.

{1} Excavation by George Lambrick in 1976. There was evidence for early Roman occupation, from at least cAD 70, supports a military origin for the town. A significant find was a mount from an early
scabbard chape. A possible public building, suggested as a posisble mansio, constructed partly of stone, not fronting onto the road dated from cAD 75, and a possible extension to it in the early to mid 2nd century was associated with high quality tableware cAD150-170 (samian, glass and coarse ware vessels) from a pit. This was replaced by a smaller stone building. Later Roman finds were recovered but not associated with any structure, though a range of timber buildings and then a cottage were built along the Roman road frontage.

{2} On the S side of Park Street, the foundations of a stone wall 60 cm thick with buttresses or pilasters, were discovered. It probably belonged to a public building of uncertain purpose put up during the third quarter of the 1st century. Its W side was aligned along the Alchester road. In the mid 2nd century it was enlarged, and then replaced by two buildings at least 7 m by 4 m and 5 m by 2 m respectively, with stone foundations 70 cm wide, also aligned on the Alchester road. A stone-lined well belonged to this phase. Sometime in the 3rd or 4th century they were demolished to make way for a timber building represented by a row of postholes along the road frontage; this was replaced by the flimsy stone footings 40 cm thick of a timber building, probably in the late Roman period.

{3} Possible Agricolan Pentagonal Temple with adjacent street side well and possible well house. Temple structure measured 11.8m internally and 14m externally. Possible paired buttresses at external angles.

{5} At 9-13 Park Street some of the earliest buildings within Towcester were recorded to date to the mid first century AD. Truncated by subsequent activity on the site they are difficult to interpret but may well represent the earliest domestic buildings in the nascent Roman settlement developing along Watling Street. Though they have been suggested as having military parallels there is nothing in their construction that need suggest such an interpretation.

A polygonal building on this site is probably a temple. Here, close to the junction between Watling Street and the Alchester Road, Lambrick noted the fragmentary remains of what appears to have been a polygonal (probably pentagonal) stone founded temple dating from the later first century AD. This building though, had been replaced by the late second century and evidence for ritual or religious foci in Towcester in the later Roman period needs to be looked for elsewhere.

Lambrick interpreted a stone building, dated to c70AD, as a possible mansio adjacent to the junction of Watling Street and Alchester Road, though this building was not aligned on either road. He goes on to suggest that the town may have developed as an extra mural vicus, whilst emphasising that no evidence for an earlier fort has been found . Woodfield has recently re-interpreted this building as the temenos wall of a possible temple precinct.

The Park Street mansio appears to have gone out of use in the mid 2nd century, when domestic buildings were constructed in this area

The analysis of monetary exchange can draw on one small published group from the Park Street excavations. The coins constitute a significant and valuable assemblage for the comparative analysis of monetary activity. At present no such wider synthesis has been attempted but an initial evaluation suggests that within a pattern of coin discard comparable to smaller urban foci elsewhere there are interesting anomalies within the Towcester group that would reward further study.

A mount from an early scabbard chape dated to the early first century AD, and therefore already old fashioned by the time of the conquest, was found at Park Street. Possible military association.

Analysis of the animal bone from the Park Street excavations indicates that sheep and pigs were largely reared for their meat whilst cattle seem to have primarily been for draft or secondary products such as milk or leather before being slaughtered. All the primary domesticated species were clearly butchered on or near to the Park Street site and as has been suggested by Maltby (REF) probably indicate the slaughter of animals driven live to town. Whether these were animals reared in the immediate hinterland by members of the town’s community or from further afield by neighbouring agricultural farms are not possible to determine.

<1> LAMBRICK G., 1980, Excavations in Park Street, Towcester, 15/35-118 (unchecked) (Article). SNN11602.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.153/Site 3 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<3> Woodfield, C, 1990, Towcester: Apparent pentagonal temple, angle Park Street and Watling Street, (unchecked) (Correspondence). SNN51738.

<4> Woodfield C., 1990, Probable Romano-British Temple Precinct, (unchecked) (Note). SNN11603.

<5> Taylor J.; Foard G.; Laughton J.; Steadman S.; Ballinger J., 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Towcester, Section 3.4 (Report). SNN103132.

<6> Burnham B.C.; Wacher J., 1990, The 'Small Towns' of Roman Britain, 152-7+160 (Book). SNN60720.

<7> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1977, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1976, p. 215-7 (Report). SNN723.

Record last edited

Nov 28 2022 1:52PM