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Summary

The alignment of the Roman road from Exeter to the fort(s) on St Andrew’s Hill, Cullompton, appears to be fossilised in the street plan of the medieval and modern town. The route probably diverges from the current B3181 at Exeter Hill, then ran roughly on the axis of Shortlands Lane straight to the fort(s) south gate(s).

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019543: Two Roman forts and two Roman camps at St Andrew's Hill
• Listed Building (II) 1168845: VICTORIA HALL, INCLUDING RAILINGS AND GATEPIERS

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROAD (Roman - 43 AD (Between) to 409 AD (Between))

Full description

Horner, B., 2017, Note on the alignment of a probable Roman Road: Cullompton (Un-published). SDV365290.

The alignment of the Roman road from Exeter to the fort(s) on St Andrew’s Hill, Cullompton, appears to be fossilised in the street plan of the medieval and modern town. The route probably diverges from the current B3181 at Exeter Hill, then ran roughly on the axis of Shortlands Lane straight to the fort(s) south gate(s).
If the B3181 (former A38) and the Cullompton Fore Street/High Street axis was the main Roman road, or became the main Roman road, then the Shortlands Lane to St Andrew’s Hill route may have been a side road accessing the fort south gate.
From the fort south gate (visible on APs), the course of the probable road is recorded in the course, or former course, of field boundaries, lanes, and the western edge of the town’s medieval tenement plots (shadowed by Shortlands Lane). This can be seen on the 1841 Tithe Map, and on 1st and 2nd Edition OS and later mapping.
By following the pre-existing lane and field boundary, north of Tiverton Road, the 1940s St Andrew’s estate road has also perpetuated the former Roman route toward the south gate.
The presence of archaeological evidence of Roman date, found during excavations at New Cut/Shortlands Lane in 2009, may suggest that this direct approach road to the fort entrance was a focus of extra-mural activity, originating in the Roman military period but with settlement continuing into the later Roman period. The Fore Street/High Street route (not involving the climb up St Andrew’s Hill) may have co-existed with the road to the south gate, and may well have been the main Roman road from its outset, but is likely to have been the preferred route northwards, particularly after the fort was abandoned (presumably by aboutAD 85), becoming the focus of settlement (along with the ecclesiastical centre) by the early medieval period.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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