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Summary

Archaeological investigations took place on land south of Quayside Road, Bitterne Manor between 1999 and 2002 (SOU 999 and SOU 1081). The land, formerly occupied by Osborne House and a scrapyard, is now occupied by Manor Wharf, Riverside Court and Manor Quay. A Roman stone wall was found in Trenches 1 and 7. It is thought to be the remains of the demolished circuit wall of the Roman settlement, built along the then shoreline. The precise date of the wall is uncertain but a late 3rd century/late 4th century date is suggested.

Protected Status: None recorded

Other Statuses/Codes: None Recorded

Monument Type(s):

• CURTAIN WALL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TOWN WALL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

SOU 999 (evaluation excavation in 1999):
[1]: The circuit wall of the Roman settlement was located in 2 of the 13 trenches (Trenches 1 and 7); this was last observed by Englefield in the early 19th century and by Roach and Smith and Kell in the mid-19th century, although had disappeared by the end of the 19th century. The projected line of the wall, based on the evidence found in the trial trenches, is shown on figure 7.

The wall was built of flint nodules and rough Bembridge limestone blocks in a mortar matrix. The construction seemed to differ in the two trenches - in Trench 7 there were no limestone blocks. In Trench 1, a mortar spread behind the wall may have been a construction or demolition layer. In Trench 7, on the landward side of the wall (and part of the wall), a hardened layer of mortar and flint may have been a walkway. In Trench 7, the wall was seen to sit on several base layers above the natural gravel. In Trench 1 the wall was at least 1.30m wide. In Trench 7 it was 2.40m wide (including the possible walkway) and survived to a height of 0.60m (fig 22 and 23). The change in wall character between the two trenches is tentatively suggested to be due to the presence of a defensive strongpoint or tower near Trench 7 (see separate record), the SE corner of the wall.

Some Roman layers were perhaps part of a rampart behind the wall (see separate record). Roman layers and features were found on both the landward and river side of the Roman wall (see separate record).

The following is suggested in [1], based on the dating of the Roman deposits. The date of the wall is uncertain but it probably dates to the last quarter of the 3rd century (or late 4th), by analogy with sites outside Southampton. The evidence from SOU 999 suggests that in the early and perhaps the mid Roman period, the settlement extended further into the river, into what is now the intertidal zone, sea level being lower in the Roman period. Then in the late 3rd or possibly late 4th century, a stone defensive wall was built and the settlement confined within it. (However, see comments on another record.)

[3]: (SOU 999 source, not checked.)

SOU 1081 (watching brief in 2000/2002):
[2]: The southern part of the Roman circuit wall and the southern part of the eastern wall parallel to the Inner Fosse were observed in trenches inside the site and in shallow service trenches in the pavement outside the site. The wall was built of limestone and flint. Due to the shallowness of the trenches, the existence of a rampart on the western side and berm on the east could not be confirmed.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESH1081 - Watching Brief at the Scrapyard in Quayside Road between 2000 and 2002 (Ref: SOU 1081)
• ESH999 - Evaluation Excavation at the Scrapyard, south side of Quayside Road, in 1999 (Ref: SOU 999)

Related records

Associated Links: None recorded

If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).

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