Monument Number 1031089 |
| Hob Uid: 1031089 | |
Location :
Gateshead
County Durham
North Lodge, Kimblesworth and Plawsworth, Framwellgate Moor, Witton Gilbert, City of Durham, Lamesley
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : NZ2520063600 |
| Summary : Roman road running from Durham to Newcastle (Pons Aelius). The present day roads respect its course. It was excavated at two points, at one of which it was found to be seventeen and a half feet wide and built in three layers of sandstone blocks with kerbs but no surface metalling. |
More information : RR 80b Roman Road. Durham - Newcastle upon Tyne.
The earlier road to Chester le Street followed the course of Millburngate from the old river crossing named Horse Hole Ford. On Framwellgate Moor, a turn to due north was made and the road is straight and raised through Pity Me until near Plawsworth where it has to bend through some hummocky country.
At Chester le Street the old main road marks the line almost due north to Birtley and Wrekenton. North of Birtley it leaves the older road for short distances, first on the east near the Coach and Horses Inn and then on the west near High Eighton; here the road was examined and found to be seventeen and a half feet wide, built in three layers of sandstone blocks with kerbs but no surface metalling.
The road was also excavated near the Coach and Horses Inn, where it crosses Leyburnhold Gill (see NZ 25 NE 5).
No traces of the road can now be seen in the open ground near Wrekenton where a branch to South Shields diverges (RR 809 - LINEAR 293), but it is known that the course continued direct to the highest ground near Beacon Lough, where a turn to the west of north was made.
The existing road and the High Street in Gateshead then mark the line direct to the Roman bridge - Pons Aelius, over the Tyne (NZ 26 SE 20) to the fort on Hadrian's Wall (NZ 26 SE 19). (1)
See Linear Archive File RR 80b for further details. (2)
No evidence for the Roman road running south from the River Tyne at Newcastle was seen on any of the photography available to the Hadrian's Wall NMP project. The area is heavily built up now of course, but at some points along the modern road there are areas of open ground such as the grounds of schools ; these areas were examined but no possible evidence for the road could be identified. (3) |