NHER 7598 (Monument record) - Roman road, Brampton to Thorpe St Andrew

Roman road from Brampton settlement (NHER 1124) to Thorpe St Andrew riverside.

Shown on Faden's map of Norfolk (S1).

The northernmost point of the road is recorded at TG 2223 2435, from which the course southward appears to follow a bridle path and then the modern road through Brampton, Buxton and Hainford parishes. The course of the road continues into Stratton Strawless and is lost in Hainford parish at TG 2364 1845.

The Broad Walk in Beeston St Andrew Park is straight and more or less aligned with the projected road line, but this is probably a coincidence.

The next section of the road starts at TG 2591 1170 and runs from Sprowston to Thorpe St Andrew, continuing as Woodside Lane, embanked at the south end on the eastern side. There is a slight rise where the Ranworth Way (NHER 8166) is crossed. The straight road continues south as Thunder Lane to TG 2620 0900.

See description by E. Rose (NAU) in file.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 23 October 2007.

1973. Trial Trench.
Single trial trench excavated across bridle path at northern end (Brampton; TG 2230 2405) revealed two pits Iron Age/Roman pits. There was no evidence that the bridle path was the Roman road, but it was noted that the nearby farm is called Street Farm, perhaps suggesting the bridle path was once a street.
See NHER 60057 for further details.
E. Rose (NAU), 29 January 1990 and A. Cattermole (NLA), 23 October 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2014.

June 1978. Field Observation.
Examination of sewer trenches across course of road at TG 2280 2255.
No evidence of road was recorded.
See description in file.
E. Rose (NAU) 29 January 1990.

June-July 1978. Field Observation.
Examination of sewer trenches along 20m stretch of road to south from Black Lion crossroads.
No evidence of road was recorded.
See description in file.
E. Rose (NAU) 29 January 1990.

September 1978. Field Observation.
Examination of gas pipe trench across course of road at TG 2241 2370.
No evidence for a Roman date.
See description in file.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 23 October 2007.

October 2007. Trial Trenching.
Single trench excavated where postulated line of road will be crossed by Norwich Northern Distributor Road.
No potentially related remains identified.
See report (S2) and NHER 63587 for further details.
H. White (NLA), 25 March 2009. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 29 July 2015.

April 2012-April 2013. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometry survey on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Block 38).
This survey identified no clear evidence for the Roman road (NHER 7598), although as noted following a subsequent survey (see below), it is possible that a faint north-north-west to south-south-east aligned linear feature at the western edge of the field represented an associated feature. It should though be noted that the Beeston St Andrew tithe map of 1842 (S3) shows a number of similarly-aligned plantation boundaries at this location.
See report (S4) and NHER 63587 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 July 2019.

May 2014-January 2015. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey on proposed line of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Area S13).
This survey identified two faint north-north-west to south-south-east linear anomalies, the westernmost of which lay close to the western edge of the field, on the postulated line of the Roman road (NHER 7598). As noted above it also be associated with one of the similarly-aligned plantation boundaries marked at this location on the 1842 tithe map.
See report (S5) and NHER 63587 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 July 2019.