Roman Roads from the air

[clive heath]

This thread morphed into a discussion on maps (love of, acquisition of etc.) which I can add to, in that I've just discovered

http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/

which allows you to examine your (or indeed any) part of the mainland in maps going back to the 1920s as far as I can tell.

[Serial_Apologist]

This thread morphed into a discussion on maps (love of, acquisition of etc.) which I can add to, in that I've just discovered

http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/

which allows you to examine your (or indeed any) part of the mainland in maps going back to the 1920s as far as I can tell.

Fantastic! Thanks Clive: right up my, er, street!

[Old Grumpy]

Fantastic! Thanks Clive: right up my, er, street!

:groan:!

This may also be of interest - even older maps, and you can compare them side by side with more modern maps.

OG

[Serial_Apologist]

:groan:!

This may also be of interest - even older maps, and you can compare them side by side with more modern maps.

OG

Phew!! Thanks, OG.

[David-G]

For those interested in Roman Roads, can I recommend a couple of books which are favourites of mine.

"The Stane Street" by Hilaire Belloc, https://archive.org/details/stanestreetmonog00belluoft .

Stane Street is the road from London to Chichester. The book traces the extant parts of the road, and investigates the missing sections.

Also, "Agricola's Road into Scotland" by Jessie Mothersole, which describes a cycle tour along Dere Street (York northwards into Scotland) in the 1920s, charmingly illustrated.

Life was so different then! The southern part of Dere Street is now the A1 dual carriageway, but was then a country lane. From Co Durham northwards there are some splendid sections of Dere Street which are now minor roads, and then the A68 from Corbridge to Otterburn which is a magnificent road to drive in deepest Northumberland. North of Otterburn the road again becomes a minor road across the magnificent moorland of the MoD ranges, before climbing up over the Cheviots. Some marvellous forts to investigate too - and the Roman bridge over the Tyne.

[gradus]

I am completely unschooled in Roman roads but many thanks for the interesting posts Clive and others. Despite my ignorance I notice that there are many stretches of road in South Suffolk that are dead straight and presumably follow the line of the roads that connected Colchester to the rest of Roman-settled East Anglia eg from Colchester to Walton near Felixstowe. Often these stretches are not main roads now, but is it true that the Romans always built in straight lines where the lie of the land allowed?

[clive heath]

There is plenty of evidence that the Romans built in straight sections and where the road necessarily curves as near Kings Playdown in Wiltshire and again in the Brecon Beacons it looks as though the road is straight viewed from an opposite hillside (though sloping), However there are also dead straight sections of road and lane that it is difficult to associate with the Romans e.g. Stockyard Hill in East Devon and "The Drift" which crosses the A30 just east of Chard. This latter is just to the west of the actual Fosse Way which is at this point a very narrow lane and where it runs over greensand has carved out a modest gorge.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.908753,-2.8578127,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_TjSa9ykgdjtQHc_j6Lx6Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[umslopogaas]

I've not much interest in maps myself, but if any of you map enthusiasts ever comes to Tiverton in east Devon, the secondhand bookshop has a large selection, some of which look quite old.