Earthworks of Roman or medieval road in Audley Park (EHER 80655)

A medieval, post-medieval, or perhaps Roman, road survives as earthworks within Audley Park. The road extends NNW / SSE for 395m and comprises a broad central linear mound which is flanked by narrower ditches and banks. The northernmost section is best preserved and extends for 120m to where metalling has been observed in the stream bank. South of this point the road is less well preserved due to later 18th century landscaping. The road was initially interpreted as a Roman road, however, it appears to match the course of a road marked on a plan of the Audley End estate dated circa 1600 and may be medieval in origin. The possible section of road located south of Wenden Road has been reinterpreted as a post medieval field boundary.

Report on an important early Roman Road running along the Cam Valley. In some lengths it seems, from the photograph (see illus card) to have become a hollow-way in antiquity. <1> TL 5285 3703 - TL 5259 3857: Attention was drawn to this Roman Road by auth 1. The line of the road is visible as dark cropmark from approximately TL 5285 3703 - TL 5275 3762, at the time of investigation the line was under cereal crop and nothing was visible. The line was then lost N until traces of it were picked up as parchmarks to the N of Audley End House TL 5263 3840. Metalling was seen in section at TL 52626 38448 in the stream bank. N of this point the road survived as an earthwork in a pasture field as a raised causeway about 12m in width with a ditch to the E. To the N of TL 5259 3857 the line of the road is beneath a golf course and no further trace was seen. <2> The road referred to above (1-2) survives as earthworks within Audley Park (NMR TL 53 NW 6 / UID: 373668). It extends NNW / SSE for 395m and comprises a broad central linear mound which is flanked by narrower ditches and banks. The northernmost section is best preserved and extends for 120m, between TL 5259 3858 and TL 5263 3846, where metalling has been observed in the stream bank (source 2). South of this point the road is less well preserved due to later 18th century landscaping. The road appears to match the course of a road marked on a plan of the Audley End estate dated circa 1600 (see Related Archive) and may be Medieval in origin. The possible section of road located south of Wenden Road, between TL 5280 3699 and TL 5278 3742, has been reinterpreted as a Post Medieval field boundary (NMR TL 53 NW 292 / UID: 1512588). <3> <4> <5> These are additional sources. <6> <7> The full length of this road within Audley End Park was recorded during analytical earthwork survey. It had a complex history but is highly unlikely that it is Romano-British as it connected two east/west roads much more certainly medieval in date. <8> Information from NRHE import.