Monument record 2417/1/0 - Roman Road-Chester to Wilderspool (Route 701)

Road traced north-east from Chester to connect with the northern road through Warrington (Route 70b) at the Roman settlement at Wilderspool. Traces of it were found at junction of Birkenhead Rd. and Parkside Rd. in Chester. Then thought to run via Brook La. to Hoole Bank. It then follows the road to Bridge Trafford where the agger can be seen alongside at a few points (1). It is likely that a road linked the legionary fortress with Wilderspool and the river crossing there. While there are convincing road lines as far as Bridge Trafford, and from Preston on the Hill to Wilderspool, the intervening terrain is not suited to straight alignments and as such the road has not been identified (2).

<1> Margary, I. D., 1973, Roman Roads in Britain, /304 -305 1957 (Book). SCH2903.

<2> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, 1/221 1987 (Book). SCH3556.

<3> Matthews K J, 1999, The creation of landscapes on the edge of the Empire: roads and the landscapes in northwest Britannia (Article in Monograph). SCH7073.