Monument record 177/2/5 - Roman well and trackway at Kingsley Fields, Nantwich

<1> Arrowsmith, P & Power D., 2012, Roman Nantwich: A Salt-Making Settlement, BAR British Series 557 (Monograph). SCH7339.

Archaeological investigations at Kingsley Fields, Nantwich between 2001 and 2002 uncovered the remains of a Roman settlement with industrial activity and a small cremation cemetery alongside a Roman road. The remains are the first clear evidence of Roman activity in Nantwich associated with the salt-making industry and provide evidence of a road linking the settlement with the main road to the northwest.

The investigations comprised the evaluation of 33 trial trenches and two test pits along with geophysical survey, metal detecting and fieldwalking surveys over a substantial area to the north of Welsh Row in 2001 followed by the more detailed excavation of several area that exhibited strong archaeological potential for Roman remains.

The remains of a Roman well [5109] and a possible trackway [5068/5075] leading northeast from the main road (CHER 7425/1/1) was encountered in the main excavation area. The well was sited at the northern end of the north ditch of the Roman road and comprised cut [5042] measuring 3.4m wide and cut to a depth of 3.5m where the original basal remains and primary fill were encountered. The base at this point was found to be lined with timber planning c1m square. Finds recovered from the base suggested a date of construction in the second century AD.

Running northeast from the well for a distance of approximately 12.5m was linear feature [5068/5075], measuring approximately 0.62m wide and 0.12m deep, it was interpreted as a possible trackway. The remains of a small pit [5093] containing pottery and finds of a 3rd century date and an irregularly shaped area [5088/5091] were encountered to the south of the linear feature and on the edge of the excavation area.

<2> Nevell, M & Fielding, A., 2005, Brine in Britannia: Recent archaeological work on the Roman salt industry in Cheshire (Monograph). SCH7341.