Scheduled Monument: Roman Camp 300m West of Upton Grange Farm (1014376)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Roman camp 300m west of Upton Grange Farm PARISH: UPTON-BY-CHESTER DISTRICT: CHESTER COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 25726 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ42006920 SJ42036911 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes part of a Roman camp lying in two fields to the west of Upton Grange Farm. It is divided into two separate areas by Long Lane. The camp was identified by aerial photographs and the southern part has been confirmed by an excavation in 1995. The enclosure is rectangular with the longer sides running north east to south west, and only a third of the original extent can now be traced. The east side and part of the north side survive but the monument has been cut and partly destroyed by the construction of Long Lane passing to the south. The southern side of the enclosure ditch has been located to the south of the road in the field used by Plas Newton School and tennis courts have been built over the western quarter of the camp. The excavation has revealed that the ditch is 3m wide with a ploughed down bank inside it 6m wide at the base and 0.2m high. The north west corner is rounded in the characteristic shape of a Roman earthwork camp. The extent of the northern side still remaining is 50m and the remaining eastern side is 80m. On the south side of Long Lane the excavation has revealed the ditch to have a V-cut bottom. The western two thirds of the camp have been destroyed by house foundations and the service road to the estate which includes Glastonbury Avenue. The camp is one of an important group of five found in the fields to the west and north west of Upton Grange. Their proximity to each other suggests that they were practice camps erected by troops from the garrison at Chester during the Roman occupation. The surface of the tennis courts on the western quarter of the camp are not included in the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included. 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 camp at Upton is one of an important group of five in the square kilometre to the west of Upton Grange Farm. Such groupings are rare and they will provide evidence of the construction and use of camps throughout the British Isles. Additionally, they will provide information on the activities of troops based in Chester. This camp remains identifiable in those areas where the road and the houses to the west have not destroyed it. It will retain information on its defences, and the interior will contain evidence of any temporary buildings and pits for latrines and refuse. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 02nd September 1996