Wroxeter Roman City

The site at Wroxeter has always been a wholly Roman foundation and was first settled by the Roman army in cAD48, the site being on the line of the great Roman road known as Watling Street. In the early years, Wroxeter would probably have been a 'temporary marching camp' but, in AD58 when Emperor Nero decided to invade Wales rather than defend a border with England, the fortress would have become permanent.

The fort was first discovered in 1975, and is believed to have been occupied by the 14th Legion from AD58-AD69 and then by the 20th Legion from AD69-AD80. Once the military establishment was no longer required Wroxeter, as with many other sites like Colchester and Gloucester, would have been handed over to the civil authorities to become what was known as a Coloniae. This was a settlement for retired veterans.

Wroxeter, along with Exeter, was then made a tribal centre being given its own administration and a degree of local autonomy. These tribal centres could be distinguished from lesser towns by the grid layout of their streets. They also had a law court, a market and a large public baths. The long period of permanent military occupation had already established a considerable civilian settlement outside of the fort: providing for the needs of well paid troops would have been quite a lucrative business. However, under the rule of Emperor Hadrian in the early 2nd century, Wroxeter was to become an even more substantial city. A new civic centre was built with a bath house, Basilica and other fine buildings and colonnades, providing one of the best examples of civic planning in Roman Britain.

During the 2nd century Wroxeter Roman City continued to grow and by the end of the 2nd century a new defensive ditch and bank were dug around the entire perimeter of what had now become the fourth largest city in Roman Britain. These earthworks covered a distance of some 2 miles (3.7km). As with most settlements that prospered in the first 150 years of Roman occupation, things were destined to change. Greater political unrest in the 3rd and 4th centuries, and increased maintenance costs, caused many buildings to become derelict. During the 4th century buildings were becoming unsafe and, over a period of time, were systematically dismantled. The bath house was used for grain storage for some time, and when the original floor was lifted and re-used elsewhere, three bodies were buried in the derelict ground. The reason for the burial here is unknown, but the skeletons were discovered at a later date. The Basilica also suffered the same fate as it too fell into various stages of disrepair.

Suprisingly, after the Roman withdrawal Wroxeter Roman City received a reversal in fortunes. After the old Basilica was cleared of all the small buildings that had been erected a substantial new building with two wings and a long western annexe was constructed. Numerous other buildings were also constructed along the adjacent streets, along with several barns. It is not known who carried out this phase of rebuilding, but it was probably a regional king who had reclaimed a realm out of the chaos of the early 5th century.

Opinion is divided as to when the city was finally abandoned, but it is believed to be between AD500 - AD650. Some Arthurian researchers have put forward quite compelling evidence to suggest that the site could have been the main base from which King Arthur defended the remainder of the Britons territory (now Wales) from the invading Saxons. Could this really have been the legendary 'Camelot'?