Monument record 8280 - Roman intervallum Road (Via Sagularis)

The perimeter of the fortress incorporated the fortress defences as well as a strip of land between the defences and the buildings of the fortress – this was known as the intervallum and incorporated space for ovens and rampart buildings as well as the intervallum road. This road was known as the Via Sagularis and ran parallel with the entire length of the fortress, it has been recorded in numerous locations across the city. East of the Roman Northgate, the intervallum road parallel with the north wall has been encountered during archaeological investigations at Abbey Green in the late 1970s and again at the Deanery Field during extensive excavations in the 1920s and 1930s (in an area now protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument). The intervallum road was then not encountered again until part way down the East wall when archaeological investigations in the late 1950s to the rear of Eastgate Street recorded not only several successive road surfaces but also the kerbstone bordering the western (inner) side of the road and an associated pavement surface running parallel with the road. The road was recorded again some 150m to the south to the rear of the Grosvenor Centre in 2004 when several road surfaces were encountered along with further traces of the kerbstone. Several successive road surfaces and the sandstone kerb parallel to the south wall has been encountered close to the south east angle of the fortress to the east and west of Newgate Street and again at Bolland’s Court. Parallel to the west wall, the intervallum road has been recorded on numerous occasions between the west end of Commonhall Street, Trinity Street, St Martin’s Way, Hunter Street, and the rear of King Street. This line of the intervallum road is perhaps the most understood section of the road with traces of the parallel footpath encountered at Commonhall Street while at St Martin’s Way a entire section across the road was investigated measuring some 3.65m in width with at least five successive phases of road surfaces laid down. Finally a section of the intervallum road some 30m in length was excavated at King Charles Court in the late 1970s immediately west of the Northgate (Former Northgate Brewery site). This section of the road appeared to be over 5m wide with several successive road surfaces.