The concrete found in the Roman Road excavations at Chilcomb is now reckoned to be after 1700AD. Quite a large piece of brick extracted from the concrete could be Roman, but logging all the brick fragments found in the concrete results in no other Roman examples, and most of the fragments are too dark to be Roman brick. A Plan of the concrete strips is available at www.nehhas.org.uk/czz15.htm. Extracting the brick fragment from the concrete showed that the centre of the strips is much harder material - possibly rock not concrete - and onto their edges is attached the much softer concrete we have been finding.

Excavating on either side of the southern concrete strip found that this added concrete bent over and came to an end. The concrete was unlikely to have covered the whole area back to 0 North, and may not have filled the space between the concrete strips. On these grounds it was unlikely that the concrete formed foundations to a Roman Road. Excavating further between the strips found more piles of the soft concrete originally found around the strips. These with brick fragments continue to over 1m below the ground surface, and it has to be concluded that the whole has been re-deposited. Below the strips a form of subsoil occurs (above that chalk lumps and powdered chalk). We thought a ditch had been cut in this subsoil below the southern concrete strip - in which there were masses of snail shells. However there is evidence that this subsoil was re-deposited, and it may be shelving down to the north - for we have not been able to recognise the same layer to the north of this concrete strip. The chalk bedrock is shelving down steeply from 0 to 2N, and it may be too deep to reach between the strips

It is likely that this concrete comes from the early life of the quarry and lime works to the NE of this excavation site. Possibly they filled in a hollow way of the Roman Road with spoil from the quarry, and waste concrete. They seem to have attempted to make a concrete roadway, but its poor quality was not very effective. Later in the quarry's life it sank below this level and used the hollow way of the modern lane to the north and some way below 6N on the Plan.

For the ledge high above these strips has continued to go back into the hillside, and now is 17' or 5m cut into the chalk bedrock, being nearly level. On its surface was found a Roman tile (and a lot of snails). This should be the Roman Road. We are now approaching the summit of the downs - and should be approaching the cut-back. The concrete strips would then be in a hollow way worn into the northern part of this Roman Road. If we cannot get into the fields at Roe Downs in September due to a late harvest will try and reach this cut-back. We will investigate between the other two concrete strips, for the bedrock may rise up if this was originally the hollow way formed on the Roman Road.

The 40' lane at Old Winchester Hill

In e New 10 we reported a third lane taking a completely different route from the two lanes of the Chichester Roman Road which have been mapped under Old Winchester Hill. In this issue we publish Survey Report 12 where this third lane, 40' wide, re-appears. In the coming months it will be added to the Survey Maps back to Exton.

We will try LIDAR over the river Meon at Exton to see if we can get evidence of where this lane crosses the flood plain. Use of LIDAR on this Road is reported in this issue.

Winchester Roman Road
August - September Digs

On August Bank Holiday we are returning to our Roe Downs Farm dig site, where we will finish the southern parallel feature in the wood. The report in e News 10 helps to understand these features www.nehhas.org.uk/rd13-14. In September we hope to excavate in the fields on possible Dark Age activity blocking these Roads, and the Dark Circles - Details. If the harvest is late we will decamp back to Chilcomb to attempt to complete or continue the work there described above.

Parallel and right angle boundaries

In 2007 we published a partial report on the field boundaries between Alton and Alresford, where far too many were parallel or right angles to the Winchester Roman Road. However this effect continued north and south of the area investigated. Since 2007 we have analysed further maps, and the results are reported in this issue. The edge has been found to the north, broadly following the most northerly of the known Roman Centuriation or estate roads, but the parallel and right angle effect continues to the south. It has been found however that they are following a Centuriation cross road running at right angles to the Winchester Roman Road, which we suspect is a through road running to the port of Chichester.

Hill Fort outer defences - CBA Festival

The first survey of the Old Winchester Hill Fort is published in this issue. This is of the Hill Fort itself, and an introduction to the Outer Defences. Three other surveys are nearly completed which will plot these outer defences. We are taking part in the CBA Festival of Archaeology on the weekend on 18 - 19 July where visitors can see some of these outer defences. The owner of the site, Natural England, is supporting the event. Details: www.nehhas.org.uk. It will not be possible to see them all in a weekend - join us if you can.