The Roman Road from Silchester to St Albans

[@buckynick]

Interesting how the roman route has hardly been utilised in later centuries. Fascinating map making.

[@davidratledge3530]

Guess after the Romans not many people wanted to go from St Albans to Silchester. The northern section does go up and down the valleys a lot so quite off-putting.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Silchester looks magnificent in the LiDAR here. Very interesting route with some ups and downs. I must check out that chalk terrace way you highlighted next time I'm down in that part of the country.

[@davidratledge3530]

Chalk Hill is now very much a hollow-way but the terrace is evident in a few spots. Certainly it is beautifully engineered as you would expect.

[@davidstaveley]

The first earthwork you show is actually an iron-age embankment, part of the territorial oppidum. It's been excavated by Reading Uni. The road actually starts as a branch from the north gate. I also think the road makes a turn to the east at Reading. I have a video about it on my channel.

[@davidratledge3530]

David - thanks for the comments. I went with what I regard as the original road leading from Silchester - it aligns well with the rest of it to Reading. The other link to the north gate I take as a later branch off it. Colchester has a similar arrangement with two ways in. As regards other suggested routes involving crossing the Thames at Bourne End or Mill End then these at best seem fords. The Romans were bridge engineers and the best place to bridge the Thames was Caversham and the alignment of the road confirms this. It is of course the bridging point today. They could island hop which is exactly what they did to cross the Thames at Southwark. As a former bridge engineer it is where I would have taken the road and then around the bend of the Thames to the north of Henley. Sensible highway surveying.

[@simonmcowan6874]

Incredible, love it, where do you get the lidar from, I'm trying to trace a late 18th wooden waggon way that I have walked, but there is a bit missing I can't find. I've tried side by side maps and other searches, I could do with a reliable infra red map too, (Shropshire) Regards S

[@davidratledge3530]

The Lidar is freely available from Defra. However, you need software to view it and the (free) QGIS is commonly used.

[@simonmcowan6874]

Thank you very much for your prompt reply.