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Summary

The course of the first three miles of the Roman road from Exeter to Teignbridge is unknown but from Red Cross it is believed to run along the line of a derelict road to Kennford and from there along the line of the old A380 to Beggars Bush, through Dunscombe and Wapperwell to rejoin the old A380 to Sandygate and thence to Teign Bridge. See associated monuments for reports on individual sections of the road.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1097695: ROAD BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KENN
• Listed Building (II) 1334129: BRIDGE AT TEIGNBRIDGE CROSSING
• Listed Building (II) 1097695: ROAD BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KENN
• Registered Park or Garden (II*) 1000705: UGBROOKE PARK

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX98NW/80

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROAD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

ROMAN ROAD marked. Map object based partly on this source.

Woolner, D. + Woolner, A., 1954, Teignbridge and the Haldon Road, 211-27, Figs 1-5 (Article in Serial). SDV284170.

Full report on the examination of the stretch of the A380 from the bottom of Telegraph Hill to just beyond the crossing of Teign Marshes. Conclusive evidence found that this road is of Roman origin, as are the earliest foundations of the Teign Bridge.

Ordnance Survey, 1963, Ordnance Survey 6 inch map (Cartographic). SDV166087.

The Roman road over Haldon Ridge follows the Chudleigh/Kenton parish boundary along the A380 road from SX90838200 to SX90378136.

Margary, I. D., 1967, Roman Roads in Britain, 118-120 (Monograph). SDV24025.

Roman road from Exeter to Teignbridge. Route 491 (13 miles). The course for the first three miles to Kennford is not yet known, although it is presumed it went through Alphington as the present road does. From Red Cross an old derelict road runs straight over the hill to Kennford and continues in an almost straight line to Kenn Cross. It then follows the road [old A380] but diverges through Round O Plantation, where the agger can be seen. It cross the modern road diagonally at the summit cross roads and then appears as a broad low agger. The route has been traced through the wood to Harcombe Head where a turn to the south-west was made. It can then be seen to the west of the road until the fork with the road to Teignmouth. It passes by a house called The Thorns and then follows an older road to Beggars' Bush. From there it descends to Dunscombe Bridge, where the agger is visible. It continues to Boxhills Copse, where it is terraced on the hillside, to Wapperwell where again the agger is visible. It then runs inside the wall of Ugbrook Park and then rejoins the present road leading into Colleyhole Brake. The modern road diverges at Sands Copse but the Roman road goes straight on to Sandygate; the agger can still be seen in places, and thence to Teignbridge. There is much evidence to indicate that this is an old crossing with a succession of bridges having been built here. The earliest structure is based on timber piers that may be Roman. Map object based partly on this source.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 139 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

The line of a probable Roman road has been traced from Telegraph Hill, over Haldon and down to Teignbridge.

Mitchell, M., 1979, Ball Clay Survey of South Devon, Worksheet 19 (Archive - Survey). SDV341500.

No. 14. Site visit 27th June 1979. Part of the modern A380 and Sandygate Road is said to follow the line of the Roman road from Exeter via Haldon Hill. No visible evidence to substantiate this suggestion.

Reed, S. J. + Turton, S. D., 2001, Archaeological Assessment of Bovey Basin Mineral Site. Part 1 Overview (Report - Assessment). SDV336226.

Chandler, J., 2002, Telegraph Hill: map regression 1675-1963 (Report - Assessment). SDV321746.

The road over Telegraph Hill is shown on the earliest maps from 1675. The road became part of the Exeter Turnpike Trust's road to Newton Abbot from the 1750s.

Jenkinson, T., 2003 - 2010, Totnes to Chudleigh A381/B3193 (Report - Survey). SDV347804.

Goodwin, N., 2006, Archaeological Watching Brief on an Electricity Cable Diversion, Kennford, Kenn (Report - Watching Brief). SDV338501.

Exeter Archaeology, 2007, Archaeological Assessment of Newcross and Broadway Mineral Sites, Kingsteignton, Devon (Report - Assessment). SDV342756.

Leverett, M., 2008, Archaeological Watching Brief at Teigngrace Causeway (Report - Watching Brief). SDV342753.

Young, G., 2010, Archaeological Monitoring of Trial Pits Along Old Exeter Road, Kingsteignton (Report - Watching Brief). SDV347551.

Woolner, D. + Woolner, A., 2014, Teignbridge and the Haldon Road: Revised 2014 (Article in Serial). SDV358583.

Hughes, S. D., Nov 2007, Archaeological Trench Evaluation on Land West of Old Exeter Road, Newton Abbot, Devon (Report - Evaluation). SDV357391.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4223 - Electricity Cable Diversion, Kennford, Kenn
• EDV4540 - Watching Brief at Teigngrace Causeway
• EDV4541 - Archaeological Assessment of Newcross and Broadway Mineral Sites
• EDV4912 - Archaeological Assessment of Bovey Basin Mineral Site
• EDV5161 - Archaeological Watching Brief on Old Exeter Road, Kingsteignton
• EDV5272 - Milestone Survey from Totnes to Chudleigh
• EDV6607 - Archaeological Trench Evaluation on Land West of Old Exeter Road, Newton Abbot
• EDV4322 - Southacre and John Acres Lane/Whitepit

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