A Roman Aqueduct, in the UK?

[@pwhitewick]

Massive thanks to David Archer for lots of drone shots used here and his amazing map.

[@platformten5958]

Hi Paul & Rebecca. Yes, a good contribution from David Archer. Tell him I often listen out for him when he's appearing on BBC Radio 4's 'The Archers'! 😀 Paul.

[@eze8970]

Ref lining material/clay, if you pound chalk into a slurry with aggregate say max 5mm size, when you compact this, & let it dry, it becomes hard & waterproof. We used to use it as a 'poor mans' temporary path on construction sites back in the day. Perhaps the Romans used something like this as they had plenty of both?

[@maureenelliott9186]

Fantastic xx

[@damo5701]

In a world of madness, hatred and division I love it when a Paul and Rebecca video comes out. So I can escape, to enjoy the tranquility, to enjoy Paul and Rebecca's enthusiasm, and learn something at the same time. And I don't even live in the UK. Thanks guys please don't stop doing what you do.

[@brucetheloon]

Couple of thoughts. From the most recent Time Team revival dig, the Romans certainly knew how to manage a water source over distance. Several stepped ponds slowing a stream down and possibly used for fish farming were identified in the landscape. Depending on the flow rate of the Church Brook back in those days, it is highly probably that the dam would not have had to be as watertight as the aqueduct itself. If the aqueduct was not diverting the entire flow of the stream/river, then the rest overflows the dam and continues downstream in the original bed. Permeation into the chalk is not a concern then and maybe only the wall was lined to preserve the structure. Contrast that to the aqueduct, what goes into the top of the channel is the absolute maximum that can get out, so any loses to permeation into the chalk would be unacceptable losses and thus the extra expense of sealing the channel was required. Expanding a bit on what @QALibrary contributed about the sources that the Romans preferred for supply stability, the Romans often used groundwater sources via well intakes or infiltration galleries. A well intake collected groundwater in a chamber from slits and openings in the walls of the chamber, which acted as a sediment settlement tank as well, and then discharged at the bottom of the chamber into the aqueduct. An infiltration gallery is a channel across a hill that groundwater flowed into via slits in the walls, then flowed into a settlement basin before discharging into the aqueduct. Diversions straight from a river are very rare as sediments and dirt would flow directly into the aqueduct and clog it up. Maybe they placed the dam on the Church Brook and fed it with additional flow from the main river along the same or slightly higher contour, with the dam being the settlement basin before discharging into the aqueduct. There is a very interesting site called Engineering Rome with quite a bit of information and then links to more scholarly sources.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Bruce, that helps a lot!

[@AnthonyIlstonJones]

@@pwhitewick You have to bear in mind that the Romans were not always inclined to use the simplest or cheapest engineering method to supply their needs, quite often (particularly in provinces where their rule was in question) they would put on a show of strength by engineering the most over-the-top scheme to supply water or cross a river or assault a hilltop fortress. Their engineering prowess is STILL impressive, imagine the effect if you were a tribesman or woman living in a wattle-and-daub thatched round house.

[@pcka12]

@@AnthonyIlstonJones probably think "those Romans are a bunch of nutters!" Just as they would today

[@TheEulerID]

It should be borne in mind that back in Roman times, the height of the water table was likely to have been a lot higher as they did not have the ability to pump out groundwater the way we do now. What is now a miserable water flow in a tiny brook could once have been much higher. The pumping out of groundwater in modern times has had that effect on a lot of chalk rivers in the Chilterns, which now only flow after sustained periods of rain over a period of months.

[@matthewhodder3029]

I agree

[@DanielleWhite]

This is a really good point. There's a great modern and reasonably well documented example of Optima Lake in the US: when construction began the average flow of the river was over 900liters per second but that had dropped to less than 200 by the time the dam was completed and by a decade later it was about 5, subsequently often drying up. The reason was increased pumping from the source aquifier. The maximum surface elevation ever reached was 1.2 meters less than the design minimum pool.

[@christianbuczko1481]

Makes bugger all difference to an aquaduct sourcing a river to supply water to several miles away. They didnt need pumps, because the aquaducts dropped about 4inches in every mile. Less and the water did not flow, more and it accelerated. It was entirely gravity fed.

[@TheEulerID]

@@christianbuczko1481 You appear to ahve entirely missed the point. If the water table has been lowered by modern techniques of pumping out ground water, what may once have been a very good flow at the source could well be reduced. This has precisely nothing to do with the fall in the aqueduct, and everything to do with the amount of water that flows at the source.

[@christianbuczko1481]

@@TheEulerID water table doesnt determine the height of a river, rain does. If the river is at a particular altitude, it wont change, the flow rate of the river arriving at the start would then flow down under gravity.

[@ajay-xjs]

Fabulous views of Maiden Castle, it's a staggering construction, imagine what it looked like with a full palisade.

[@marchurnik]

The Romans had a preference for high quality of water. They build a lot of aqueducts including a real stone aqueduct to transfer water of high quality out of the Eifel mountains to Cologne in Germany direct at the river Rhine. If the small river was possible polluted, it is very high likely for the longer route.

[@ColinH1973]

It's only when you are on the ground that you get a real sense of exactly how huge it is. Great vid as usual, thanks Paul and Rebecca.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Colin. Yep agreed, it difficult to capture it on camera well

[@DrBillPezzaglia]

I learn so much from you about the land of my ancestors. I keep stopping the video and looking up all sorts of things I knew nothing about. Thanks for continual entertainment.

[@graypaul8331]

Hi Paul. My family lived in Bradford Peverell, and were from the local area. Our neighbour had a vegetable patch in that groove up from Whitfield Farm in the 1970's! My dear mum and dad lived in the area all their lives, he was a coppice worker by trade and served his apprenticeship in Compton Valance. He always said that the Roman aqueduct source was there, and that it was 'always bl**dy wet there' I hope this local 'knowledge' may help, and is just not another tale....

[@grahamkearnon6682]

Where I live & before mechanization the lumber jacks built and, used flumes to deliver their lumber to a river/ lake location. All you need is a water supply.

[@shirleylynch7529]

Beautiful explore. Footage stunning. So interesting. Very enthusiastic. Views from the drone were amazing. Thank you.

[@phillipbateman2284]

Rebecca doing a marvelous job of looking lovely, never uttering a single word. A good vlog suggesting different option, but not many definite answers. I would have thought the Romans wouldn't have shied away from work and liked to make things to last. I do hope you solve this mystery and share your answers. Thanks, and take care.

[@davep9528]

Are you aware of Ham Hill at Stoke-sub-Hamdon? Talking to someone from Bournemouth university when they were doing a dig at Ham Hill they stated that it was the largest Iron Age hill fort in Europe rather than Maiden Castle. It is so large that it is much more difficult to see the whole to get a scale of it, with fields and woods it doesn’t stand out like the beautiful Maiden Castle. Really enjoyed the rest of the video 😀

[@SteamCrane]

Like most of your videos, this one turned into a rabbit hole. This time looking up leat/leet/lete from a recent video, linked with aqueduct building, and getting dragged into Roman hydraulic mining methods in Britain. The thing that always sticks out about the Romans, their confidence in their engineering skills, and treating a problem as something to be resolved, with a bit of elegance.

[@allenra530]

With Roman colonization lasting over 400 years, I would expect that they would have constructed many of these aqueducts for their towns and cities, as well as the shorter ones that supplied the villas in the regions that they occupied. Thank you for showing us this one.

[@christianbuczko1481]

More like 350ish

[@christianbuczko1481]

Aquaducts like this are rare, villas had conduits which were tiny. Its the difference between a canal and a water pipe. They normally used wells around the uk aswell with the two best and most advanced wells in the entire empire being in london, look up hadrians wells.

[@dajogb3330]

The Romans occupied Britain from 43 AD until 410 AD, when the Western Roman emperor Honorius withdrew his forces because of conflict in Central Europe and approaching Rome. There is more than enough evidence of the occupation and withdrawal of the Roman Empire. You should educate yourself in the history and while you’re at it try the English language and grammar also.

[@dajogb3330]

@Alex Holmes By the way 5 spelling mistakes and 6 grammatical mistakes in 10 lines. Outstanding effort.

[@stephenchild2310]

A fascinating account. Please do consider a series about Roman aqueducts and any other Roman infrastructure that you find. I've always been interested in ancient routes and tracks so I'd definitely be keen to see what you find.

[@damianbutterworth2434]

I`m lucky to live next to the oldest Roman canal in the UK. Fossdyke, Saxilby, Lincolnshire. Next door has a narrow boat I should ask him if he could take them out for a video for the channel.

[@vernonbruce5389]

Hi Both, There are remains of a Roman aquaduct on Aylestone road , Leicester. It's called the Raw Dykes. And also while I am on here Great Central Railway, Quorn and Woodhouse station are putting out a new video at 7pm 11/2/23 on you tube.

[@a11oge]

very impressed by the quaility of your filming and editing. You keep our attention nicely.

[@dave_h_8742]

it's possible to start from the river to the aquaduct before the 80m line, that would make the water move quickly, which they must remove this speed to a slow meander as the speed would over time ruin the wood lined aquaduct as water is abrasive. Note. They had settling tanks for debris removal so that would loose some height for this process as it would have to be quite big.

[@ArcAudios77]

Excellent Drone Work, enjoyed seeing the Fort & near 2,000yr old Earthworks. Thanks Paul & Rebecca with regards sent from an old Roman Town in East Dunbartonshire.

[@PoppinJay]

Just a joy to vicariously visit such terrific countryside. Thanks for a great video.

[@terrylucas9639]

Great video which I came across by accident. I regularly walk over the fields you describe and will look at them in a new light now. Thank you.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Very nice video, I be knackered after walking 15 miles around that, I possibly would had gone for the easy option as well

[@MartinFarrell1972]

Great video Paul & Rebecca. When I go for walks I try to find places with history as it makes it more interesting

[@martinwood9014]

Lots of clay at nearby Wareham, great video thanks.

[@timstradling7764]

Thought provoking, and I love Rebecca’s side of shot facial expressions punctuating your postulations Paul😊

[@mrwombatz5160]

G’day from Australia! Like the hikes, like the history, love the antics! What a great couple you are! I really enjoy the passion you have for exploration.

[@pauljones1350]

Your in such an ancient landscape there, excellent production as usual,your enthusiasm is exasperatingly refreshing,well done.

[@stephencameron4032]

Hi Paul and Rebecca, thank you for another lovely video, it's very therapeutic to see such glorious countryside, unfortunately, I'm temporarily incapacitated at the moment, ( I injured my knee), so I won't be going very far any time soon, but Mary and I used to enjoy going for long walks in the countryside, she's waiting for a hip operation, so we're both having to curtail our travels, anyway, stay safe, all the best from Scotland, Stephen.

[@pwhitewick]

Best wishes to you both

[@raytrevor1]

A lovely video, but seems a bit obsessed with the 80m contour. Aqueducts must have a fall of maybe 1 in 1000 for the water to flow. If the route is 10 kilometres, you need to find where the 90m contour crosses the river to see the source.

[@JP-su8bp]

I am so jealous of your mini-adventures. Thank you for sharing.

[@roderickmain9697]

Maybe ...the dam came later. I suppose its obvious to say that wherever the aquaduct came out, it would have to be at a lower level than where it started - just to get the flow. I suspect that ground penetrating radar might reveal something (where is Time team when you need them). Its a fascinating bit of archeology though. If you havent been, I recommend visiting the Pont du Gard and wandering around the countryside either side to see how a Roman Mega project aquaduct was made. (What have the Romans ever done for us?) Great video. Impressed.

[@raytheron]

I love videos like this one! Thanks, Paul and Rebecca!

[@gaugeonesteam]

I've been to Maiden Castle many times but I didn't know about the aqueduct. That valley near the end of the video seems bloomin big for the Romans to have dammed it, As Mick Aston used to say on time team: "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence". ie: Aqueduct could have been more to the west but nothing remains today. Lots of little Dorset brooks and streams seem to have much less water that just 40 years ago. not sure why? They used to be full of water, Lots of clay in the Isle of Purbeck. would that have been too far away for the Romans? Purbeck clay mining was going on in Roman times (according to the Purbeck clay mining museum). Great video!! Is that an "Ant & Dec" thing? Paul on the right and Rebecca on the left. I reckon the river Frome, smaller brooks, streams and smaller man made structures for water seem much more likely than a big dam in a relatively big valley. PS: So Bournemouth Uni reckon this dam was there for about 70 years or more. This make it seem even more unlikely.

[@dilwyn1]

Great and informative vid as always both. Made me think, and will have to research, how water was obtained at my local hill fort in Oswestry. never gave it a thought before, so now you have the "Grey matter" going !!

[@brianwillson9567]

You two must be the foremost commentators on history in the English landscape, Iron Age to abandoned railways. Well done, but most importantly THANK YOU.

[@SharpblueCreative]

Your videos are so interesting- better than the BBC - love them.

[@66kbm]

There is a very good description and write up about this Aqueduct and its excavations in chapter 4 of the book Roman Dorset by Bill Putnam.

[@gaijininja]

So it’s chalk underneath, and looks like it has been farmed for a very long time, so maybe the 80m contour and the river channel are not where they were back then? There would possibly be 5-10m of soil on top of the original contour, and the river would have eroded deeper, or even moved from it’s original course.

[@peterchristopher8702]

greetings from New Zealand you 2 make great videos to watch my dad was born in Dorchester been there many times before i came to nz 😊

[@nilo70]

The Whitewicks are on the search again ! Thank you Rebecca , thank you Paul for entertaining me this Sunday and Cheers from California ! (Erm, I’m not actually California)

[@davie941]

hello again Paul and Rebecca , i love when you get the drone out , interesting video as always , well done and thank you guys :)

[@brianartillery]

When archaeologist, Sir Mortimer Wheeler excavated some of the site in the inter war years of the last century, he incurred the wrath of the archaeological elite by actually letting the public in to view the digs in progress. Furthermore, digging had revealed millions of carefully graded stones all over the site. These were 'ammo dumps' of sling stones to defend the site. Wheeler had loads of these bagged up, and sold to visitors as a souvenir of their visit. I've been there, many years ago, and it is so vast, sheep grazing on it's banks looked like grains of rice from a distance. An incredible place. I'm sure that I once saw a TV show called 'What The Romans Did For Us', which demonstrated an aqueduct, and indeed, how the Romans persuaded water to run uphill. Nothing ever surprises me about the ingenuity of those blokes.

[@Vinemaple]

I know some concrete flooring contractors who can make water run uphill. Just have them put in a drain, and the water will go anywhere else but into it.

[@brianartillery]

@@Vinemaple - Did they all take their Stetson hats when they left? My next door neighbours had some contractors like yours - they took nearly a year to build an extension. When they finished, it was utter shite.

[@robertcoleman4861]

Wonderful history beautiful pictures thanks paul & rebecca cheers bob from down under.

[@MrSam4850]

A brilliant and enlightening video once more, great work P&R. P.S. Rebecca's facial expressions and poses are always entertaining!

[@tolrem]

Greetings from New Zealand.I see that the Old Country is as beautiful as ever.Love your videos.

[@shanefarrell2780]

Great video, thanks. I spent many a time climbing over maiden Castle when I was young totally unaware of the viaduct. On the clay front; though dorchester don't have clay weymouth does, I grew up radipole side of weymouth and clay was everywhere.

[@saragreen6944]

I’ve been waiting for this one, it didn’t disappoint! Great vid again guys, thank you ☺️

[@mkendallpk4321]

Paul, when you mentioned a dam. I came to the same conclusion as you have. Where is the dam's liner? Without it any water that flowed into the reservoir would be absorbed into the ground and very little would been left to supply an aqueduct. I think that it would take a much larger water source, such as the nicely sized waterway (/river) to supply the city with an adequate based water supply to meet its needs. Thus, I favor the valley theory. This was a very nice video that probed an interesting question. Thank you for making it.

[@nigelprice3929]

Just as an idea.........is is possible that once the chalk becomes saturated, that is enough to allow further water to flow ? Not very efficient initially, all the initial water is lost but gradually over time the chalk becomes water logged ? Or perhaps a layer below the chalk prevents water loss. Streams wouldn't exist at all in chalk land areas if the water always passed through the rock ?

[@mkendallpk4321]

@@nigelprice3929 Soil would cover over the chalk for a flowing body of water like a stream and prevent leakage. But, it would take a long time. I guess it could also work that way for a reservoir. If you waited a very long time for soil to form a water impervious layer. Somehow I would think that chalk since itself does not dissolve in water. Your theory might be true. But, it would be a very leaky reservoir and not hold water very long.

[@davidorf3921]

@@mkendallpk4321 it's possible that the area was once saturated and with water extraction not only has the stream dried out but the ground has dried as well, if there was originally a saturated area then maybe daming would have made sense, from watching the likes of time team over the years if you have a large body of still water then you get settlement of mud at the bottom as evidence

[@janinapalmer8368]

That was really interesting 😊.... I never knew that fort was there ... I agree with your first theory about where the aqueduct starts .. You were very quiet Bec.... 😶

[@lorrainemerry8661]

Thank you so much for doing this video. I live nr Winterbourne abbas. I knew that there was an aquaduct but didn't know the route of it or where it started. I shall be off to explore it very soon x

[@Duffy3074]

Really interesting topic and well done😊

[@davidrowley-ic6dx]

It seems highly likely the aqueduct would be supplied via a reservoir of some form. This would assure continuity of flow via a fixed head of water and be less vulnerable to fluctuations due to dry spells. Having lived in the area for a while, I was always very aware of how the water levels in the streams and rivers could vary quite dramatically and were very sensitive to rainfall. In practice, I would expect the river to be tapped slightly further upstream than the 80m contour … then be fed by a leat into a holding reservoir. I would then expect the water to be tapped from a dam and to pass through a settling chamber before entering the aqueduct … essentially a simplified version of a modern waterworks. The added benefit of creating a reservoir is to allow sediment to settle out of the river water … allows the water supply to run clearer and reduce risk of your aqueduct silting up .. remember the fall is not great and sediment could be a problem. I would also argue there is plenty of clay available … it don’t ‘arf stick to yer boots when you go for a walk on a wet winter’s day !!

[@PA3456]

Omg my fav couple ❤️ happy Sunday evening

[@MrGreatplum]

Another very interesting video - I can only theorise that the water table was higher back then - we certainly take a great deal out of it - far more than the romans would have done.

[@bluelobstertales]

Stumbled on your content today! Love the perspectives you give here, between maps (and overlays), drone footage and being right there, at the actual site. Love it! Look forward to following your adventures! :)

[@Hairnicks]

Fascinating, it often takes the eye of an outsider to question these things with a bit of common sense, I like your thinking Paul. I'm sure the Romans preferred the easy option in engineering. However, I suppose the brook could have been more substantial all those years ago.

[@pwhitewick]

Yep the Brook simple has to have had more water in even during summer months

[@martinmarsola6477]

A nice tour today. Thank you! Cheers mates!

[@alexcharlesworth7580]

Fascinating video as ever. Nunnery mead is situated just outside Maiden Newton where I used to live (I was told that Maiden comes from the association with the Nuns at the nunnery that once stood on or near Nunnery Mead) so I know the area well. Interesting to learn about the Roman history there though. I knew about the existence of the aqueduct but amazing to see it from the air.

[@jamesblair18]

great video. water causes and flow can change through time . The university of bournmouths idea sounds credible. more aquaducts and canals *please*

[@pwhitewick]

I'm enjoying them. That's for sure.

[@taffythegreat1986]

If I was the romans, I would set up where it’s easier. Not think we’ll set up here, then worry about how we going to get the water to here. Especially if it’s miles away. Love the videos, it’s got to be a great achievement when you solve the problems of the past 👍👍

[@malcolmsmith6615]

Ummm...... mystery indeed! There was much reference to the 80m contour. However, a water supply MUST flow downhill and so the source must have been 5m or more higher than Dorchester. This would have made it even harder to identify the location of the source as it would have been above 80m (or was Dorchester already lower than 80m?). Whatever the answer, the aqueduct must have had a descending gradient else the water would have been nearly stagnant. You quoted a supposed flow rate of 3.6 tonnes per minute, and so the gradient would have been noticeable. The Elan valley aqueduct to Birmingham has an average gradient of 1 in 2350. That is an average drop of 6.8m every 10 miles. Apply this to Dorchester and you see where I’m coming from. The mystery thickens!

[@timhancock6626]

There was a very ambitious Roman water course with aqueducts from the north of Lincoln coming to supply Lincoln. They have found plenty of evidence of it but there is a mystery as there is little supporting evidence it was ever used. I will be near Dorchester in a few weeks 👍

[@rogermorris6957]

Thank Guys for a fascinating vlog & challenging, was it fusible that the river feed the reservoir as well as the brook and the reservoir kept a stock of water ?

[@taloire43]

A very interesting video with plenty to think about - and Rebecca had a walk-on part too.

[@charlesachurch7265]

Thanks for another great presentation xxx thanks.

[@noeraldinkabam]

You can’t compare waterflow in the 2020’s with waterflow in the year 0: most aquivers are down many meters since than. The waterflow above ground is used by farmers, industry and consumption. Probably the brook was more like a river back than.

[@urbandiscount]

Oh, interesting! Beek en Dal, near Nijmegen has an aquaduct that fed the Roman army camp just East of present day Nijmegen. A substantial part was dug into the hill, but also natural contours were used.

[@JimBagby74]

Roll On, Whitewicks!

[@colinedwards5192]

All your video's are informative and your personality make them interesting.

[@manmeetsinghmahajan6183]

Amazing work team 👏

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you

[@timeflysintheshop]

Well the climate may have been wetter long ago, so the brook may have had more flow, but even if its flow was seasonal, the reservoir created by the dam would have allowed for a supply of water well into the dry season if there was one.

[@69waveydavey]

My thoughts on academics...I went to university as a mature student in the late 90's after living in the real world of work for over 10 years. They were very good at regurgitating facts or theories but had little common sense. Some of them were nice genuine people but I found most living in a very insular world. If you can remember an episode of "Time Team" where they dug out a Roman well in London and found a chain mechanism, they messed about and argued and never concluded fully, I had just been to Algarve on holiday, the things were everywhere and still are. some still working. I'm not totally convinced with their theory as you may have gathered! I think you have valid unanswered points.

[@urbandiscount]

You went to university, so you totally know why that was. In archaeology you just don't know. You can theorize, and if you have more evidence your interpretations will be more precise, but you can never know for sure.

[@69waveydavey]

@@urbandiscount You are correct, my problem with academics is they also think they are correct and more often than not they probably are but the one's I encountered were convinced they were 100% correct even if your counter arguement was as valid as theirs. Maybe some are open minded and can be open to many possiblities but I didn't encounter any.

[@maryhairy1]

Thx for the conundrum! Difficult to know where the aqueduct began. Obviously it would have been gravity fed but looking from ground level hard to decide where it started.

[@RoelvandenBergWillemWasbak]

i always enjoy your video's, the music, the beautifull landscpapes and you both friendly couple. The UK is beatifull!

[@oldgreygritter]

Thank you. Very interesting as always.

[@tomgibbs6396]

This is great and super interesting . I lived in Dorchester for years and know that whole area real well and have walked maiden castle a bunch

[@sarahmallett7399]

Another great & interesting program, keep them coming 👍

[@cerealport2726]

Please forgive me, but as a wild colonial from Australia who has spent scant time in the UK, every time I hear of Dorchester, I think of the Fawlty Towers episode: Oh, um...Your chef. Has he been with you long? About six months. He used to work at Dorchester. At the Dorchester? No. In Dorchester, about 14 miles away.

[@rachelt-s]

Sybil should have googled the distance from Dorchester to Torquay is in fact 75miles - not 14!! I🤣

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

@@rachelt-s Sybil was a woman. Surely her ignorance of mileage is understandable? 🤔🙄😁

[@andrewridge4978]

I've watched most of your content on railways and canals. Thank you so much for all of it. This aqueduct is something of which I was never aware, and Dorchester was my place of birth and childhood home. And I was supposed to be a Classicist. Oh well.

[@philiptownsend4026]

Know matter how much we know there is always scope to learn more ;-)

[@LordoftheBadgers]

I found out about it as I go thru Dorchester every year to play in purbeck (musician). Could see it on the hill and wondered to check OS Map. Bam! Very cool. I remember seeing about a similar one I think up near the Welsh goldmines

[@bardon7725]

Just been looking at the old 25in OS map. Interestingly there used to be a water mill in Notton at almost the exact height the source would have been, maybe they reused the Roman weir, also the road is also at the height they used the old aqueduct filled in as a road, the dam could have been an embankment with the aqueduct on top, probable had a culvert under that got blocked and filled it up behind.

[@HoxieDan5369]

Enjoyed! Will give it further thought!

[@pwhitewick]

Please do, it remains a mystery to me

[@minproceng1218]

As my friend, the civil engineer (USA definition), keeps reminding people: "Water runs down hill." And remember Occam and his razor.

[@iainhunneybell]

Great story, and my vote would be to take the more reliable water source with the less effort of building a culvert/aqueduct a few mile v building an earthwork dam

[@pwhitewick]

Absolutely my vote too

[@robertwedd1111]

Always enjoy your video’s. Another unusual topic and interesting insight 👍

[@rescueincome]

How about Nunnery Mead being a catchment point which was feed down to the dammed valley? Do the gradients allow for that possibility? Also two holding points make for better consistency of water supply. Also what about one of the catchment ponds or reservoir being a fishery ?

[@RH117]

Many aqueducts often had multiple input sources so it is possible. The recent and ongoing lidar and ground penetrating synthetic aperture radar work might upon review and interpretation might help prove or disprove the history. The technologies have helped at many other cultural history and archaeology sites.

[@robinjones6999]

Another marvellous video which seems to turn conventional wisdom and reaseach on its head

[@LordoftheBadgers]

Ps guys the choice of music is rather lovely. Makes a landscape I love seem even more beautiful.

[@boozytortoise]

I was part of the team that did the 4 week excavation at Frampton dam in 1998

[@williamlloyd3769]

Perhaps a LIDAR scan of the area would provide more clues as to the water source.

[@pcka12]

I wonder if you have any information on the dry canal visible from the Duke of Cumberland Pub, Holcombe, Somerset? Seems like it is called Edford Bridge & carried a (now disused) road, used to drive past it regularly & often wondered about it!

[@pwhitewick]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHanqohrasl8aNE

[@andyskelton7223]

Another valued history lesson thanks P & R

[@XmarkedSpot]

You know i love your channel... greetings from Germany

[@mtgcardzandreview2756]

The valley with the creek what's the source and is it being used/diverted somewhere upstream.

[@rogerparkington3837]

Any Roman Aqueducts that I have seen in Italy were built of stone and had a gradient of 1:100 with settling cisterns at regular intervals. The channel was simple a deep groove cut in stone blocks. It could not have just followed the 80 meter contour line as there would have been no gradient. Even if it was built of wood there must have been some stone supports. Did you not find any stone remains? Still, a very good and thought provoking video.

[@ianlawrie919]

A most intriguing conundrum 👏👍👌

[@EdOeuna]

Any idea what the wall in the background at 3:00 is? Seems out of place in a farmers field.

[@davidberlanny3308]

Lovely part of the world, Thomas Hardy country, I wonder if part of the Mayor of Caster bridge was based in that Hill Fort? Perhaps they used water wheels to raise the level of the water?. Various operational examples can be seen in the Valle de Ricote in Murcia southern Spain, these are used to provide irrigation water. I really enjoy these videos where you delve into the long lost past looking for clues. It will be interesting to see what others also comment. Good luck from Spain!!

[@007JHS]

To be honest, I would have thought some sort of Archimedes screw type mechanism at Dorchester itself... perhaps wind driven... I know thay had the Archimedes screw technology, but had the Romans mastered wooden wind driven gears necessary for a windmill??