NHER 52027 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Roman road from Caistor Roman town to the settlement and temple at Crownthorpe

April 2009. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a possible section of the Roman road from Watton (NHER 8786, 19725, 52027) that approaches the Roman town at Caistor St Edmund via Crownthorpe to the west are visible on aerial photographs.
This Roman would potentially have linked up with the section of Roman road to the north of Wymondham (NHER 19725), which is recorded from aerial photographs running from the Roman settlement and temple at Crownthorpe (NHER 8897) towards the Roman town at Caistor. Evidence, either aerial photographic and field survey, section of road is not known past Ketteringham village, although the route is likely to be fossilised in the eastern section of ‘The Street’ and the western part of the track leading east from the Fiveways junction.
S. Horlock (NMP), 01 April 2009.

March 2011. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a section of the Roman road (NHER 19725) to the south of Hethersett are clearly visible on aerial photographs (S5-S8). The road can be seen as an intermittent bank feature, measuring up to approximately 13m in width, between TG 1363 0333 and TG 1509 0336. Further cropmarks are also visible to the east, and have been recorded under NHER 52024.
E. Bales (NMP), 28 March 2011.

July 2011. Norfolk NMP.
NMP mapping of the course of the road through Ordnance Survey quarter sheet TG10SW is recorded under NHER 19725.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 13 July 2011.

January-February 2009. Excavation.
Excavation of site of proposed reservoir at TG 2196 0353.
This work identified a 'U'-shaped enclosure ditch, within which were six Roman graves, containing the remains of seven individuals. Although not initially recognised as such this was almost certainly a roadside cemetery, lying immediately to the south of the recorded line of this road. Although no trace of the road itself was recorded two similarly-aligned fragmentary ditches were potentially associated with this routeway.
See report (S9) and NHER 66662 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 2 February 2023.

February-March 2017. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of sites on possible route of Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm onshore cable. This phase of survey saw the examination of a field at TG 2110 0351 which coincides with the line of this road.
A pair of adjacent, parallel east-to-west aligned linear anomalies coincided with the line of the Roman road.
See NHER 66380 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 27 January 2026.

November 2021-March 2022. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of sites on proposed route of Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm onshore cable.
This survey saw the examination of two additional areas that coincided with the line of this road, which lay to the west of the site examined in 2017.
In both cases weak anomalies were identified that appear to coincide with the line of the road and were similar to those observed to the east (NHER 66638). It should though be noted that the situation is though potentially complicated at these locations by the fact that this section of the road coincides with part of the Keswick/Swardeston parish boundary.
See NHERs 66378 and 66379 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 27 January 2023.

December 2021. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of part of proposed Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm onshore substation site.
This survey saw the examination of a small field at TG 2137 0353, immediately to the east of the one examined in 2017. Although the preceding surveys had identified possible traces of the road to the west none were seen at this location.
See NHER 66381 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 27 January 2026.

February-June 2022. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of sites on proposed route of Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm onshore cable. This phase of work saw the investigation of two sites that coincided with the line of this Roman road, both of which were locations where the preceding geophysical surveys had identified potentially associated anomalies (NHERs 66379 and 66380). The excavated trenches did though reveal no clear evidence for surviving sub-surface remains relating to the road.
A third location on the route of this road was also investigated but in this case none of the excavated trenches coincided with the line of the road itself (NHER 66381).
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 27 January 2023.