More information : A section of medieval/post medieval road with possible Roman origins is visible as earthworks on air photographs and digital elevation models derived from Environment Agency lidar and Structure from Motion taken from 2017 specialist oblique photography. The road was mapped from DEM's and assessed on the ground by Historic England as part of the English Heritage Trust's 'Hadrian's Wall: Birdoswald Sector Survey'.
The earthworks appear to be a pre-existing alignment of the current road between Gilsland to Chapelburn, possibly diverted when the Newcastle to Carlisle railway (1376092) was constructed in the 1830s, which truncates the eastern end of the earthworks. The current road is the projected line of the Roman Stanegate, so may have originated as such.
The earthworks appear to show two phases of road. The lower western-most road is visible as a platform with a scarp to the north, and measures approximately 150 metres in length. The road then appears to have been moved slightly further to the south and up the slope, as denoted by a series of mature oak trees which line this later road, but block the route of the earlier one. This later road is again defined by a linear platform with a scarp to the north and is partly maintained as access into the field. It extends north-east from the field gate for 147 metres before making a sharp turn east for a further 130 metres, where it is truncated by the railway.
The projected alignment of this previous course of road aligns with a possible section of the Stanegate to the east (1449863).
An additional road, defined by a flat-bottomed hollow way extends from these road earthworks towards Denton Mains (1612723). (1) |