Scheduled Monument: Roman Camp at Upton, 400m East of the Water Tower North of Long Lane (1015608)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Roman camp at Upton, 400m east of the water tower north of Long Lane PARISH: UPTON-BY-CHESTER DISTRICT: CHESTER COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 25723 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ42096956 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a Roman camp lying in two fields to the west of the lane from Acres Lane to Upton Grange. The camp was first identified from an aerial photograph taken in 1989 and confirmed in 1990. It is one of an important group of five camps in the square kilometre to the west of Upton Grange. The camp is rectangular in shape with rounded corners and measures 100m by 120m internally, with the longer sides running north to south. The area enclosed by the camp is 1.2ha. In the southern half the camp is bisected by a hedge boundary with a pond separating the two fields. The camp is of medium size in the range of Roman earthwork camps and has typical rounded corners in the shape of a playing card. The single outside ditch will have a V-shaped cut and a rampart of earth and turf inside. The camps were probably practice camps for the Roman troops stationed in the fortress at Chester. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Roman camps are rectangular or sub-rectangular enclosures which were constructed and used by Roman soldiers either when out on campaign or as practice camps; most campaign camps were only temporary overnight bases and few were used for longer periods. They were bounded by a single earthen rampart and outer ditch and in plan are always straight-sided with rounded corners. Normally they have between one and four entrances, although as many as eleven have been recorded. Such entrances were usually centrally placed in the sides of the camp and were often protected by additional defensive outworks. Roman camps are found throughout much of England, although most known examples lie in the midlands and north. Around 140 examples have been identified and, as one of the various types of defensive enclosure built by the Roman Army, particularly in hostile upland and frontier areas, they provide an important insight into Roman military strategy and organisation. All well-preserved examples are identified as being of national importance. The Roman camp at Upton Grange survives in its complete circuit as a well defined cropmark visible on aerial photographs taken in 1989 and 1990. This is one of a group of five practice camps connected with the military occupation of the fortress at Chester. This camp will retain evidence of its construction and the interior will contain traces of temporary buildings and pits for latrines or refuse. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 02nd September 1996