A hitherto unknown Roman road has been uncovered during car park development works at Housesteads.
Archaeological remains were discovered during works to prepare for a car park extension at the visitor centre and Roman museum at Housesteads in the Hadrian’s Wall area.
Works were halted as soon as the discovery was made to allow Northumberland National Park’s staff and specialist advisers to inspect the site. Archaeologists then began the process of cleaning and recording the feature. Stonework and fragments of Roman pottery were found. Archaeologists say this evidence suggests the new discovery is a Roman road to Housesteads Fort.
Chris Jones, historic environment officer for Northumberland National Park, said: “The discovery of new remains is always a great thrill for any archaeologist, and we are working hard to assess the importance and scale of the find. With every day that passes, we will know more.”
A comprehensive study is now underway. The early findings indicate the presence of historic road surface and edging cut into the natural substrate. It runs in a course from approximately north-west to south-east, and appears to be overlain by the present B6318 Military Road. The Military Road originated in the 1750s as the road constructed by General Wade to fight the Jacobite rebels.
Chris Jones continued: “We appreciate that there is a great a thirst for information on Roman finds amongst the public, and will be arranging events very soon to share what we have found with everybody. However, I would like to request people’s patience to allow us to safely carry out our initial work. I also need to remind people that this is a construction site and access is strictly controlled for everybody’s safety. Please bear with us.”
The feature needs to be properly cleaned by hand and fully recorded before the works can continue in the area. Suitably experienced archaeologists and volunteers will ensure this is done safely, quickly and efficiently.