Monument record 436/1/9 - Elworth Street (King Street)- Margary Route 70a

Part of King Street Roman road. SJ 74126145-74356115. This section shown as earthwork on 1st edition OS 6inch (1). Signs of this road can be seen at Elworth to the west of Sandbach, as a ridge in a field almost parallel with and east of the present road, Booth Lane. Uncertain as to the actual course to the south east, though from its general direction it is probable that the road was designed to reach the Roman settlement at Chesterton, near Newcastle under Lyme (2). Poole states that the road ran parallel to the main road in the village (London Road/Booth Lane) and that it ran directly along the edge of the family garden to the rear of the house (Boothville) (3 & 4). A section was cut across the line of the road in response to building work at the site of F.R. Nicholls (precise location unknown) by staff and students of Sandbach School in 1966. That revealed a road c.60' wide "…comprising three successive layers of decayed brushwood, white sand and humus…" and a layer of yellow sand 1' deep. The road metal comprised "…alternate layers of sand and gravel with a quantity of large stones to act as binding material. Since no traces of stone paving were found the surface may have been cobbled with stones…". At either end of the road was a large wad of clay, a hard shoulder 10 yards wide and a roadside ditch 5' deep. The latter was only established on one side of the road (5). Site visited to check for presence of Roman road to Middlewich - detected in railway cutting to N. in 19th century. Large hole dug into natural sand for below-ground garage (3m deep), giving clear section leading to deposits. No trace of Roman road detected (6).

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1881-2, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 6 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, Sheet 50 1882 (Maps and Plans). SCH2474.

<2> Margary, I. D., 1973, Roman Roads in Britain, /302 (Book). SCH2903.

<3> Various, Cheshire History, Greenwood HM vol.17/1986 (Journal/Periodical). SCH811.

<4> Codrington T, 1903-18, Roman Roads in Britain (Book). SCH2902.

<5> Sandbach School, The Sandbachian, 1966/p.17-22 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH5091.

<6> County Historic Environment Record, Site Visit/Watching Brief Observation Report Form, ECH3495 2001 (Unpublished Document). SCH4357.