The Romano-British Settlement at Springhead. Excavation of the Watling Street, Shop and Pedestal, Site B

THE ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT AT SPRINGHEAD ; been necessary because of a fire, for signs of burning were noted ; in particular a large carbonized beam was found in the floor (Plate IIB). "The absence of any daub or plaster implies a solid timber construction rather than a wattle and daub construction. No roofing tUes were found associated with the first buUding although there were a few associated with the second. The date of the first period of the buUding is given by the contents of stratum G which go down to the late second century, and the filling above the floor is of early third century date. Soon after this the shop was rebuUt in masonry, the buUding level being marked by mortar • droppings at the level of the surviving waU tops. The walls were made of flints, weU faced, and the floors were of gravel and chalk. An interesting feature is the threshold or doorstep at the side of and at the level of the surviving top of the waU. Flanking the shop was a wooden partition indicated by the double row of flints which helped support it (Plate IIA). The arrangement suggests a subsequent modification of the entrance through the shop front. There are no traces of the material of which the floor of the shop was composed, but in the large room behind, there was a chalk floor. Nor was there any indication of the final state of the buUding ; it simply appears to have become derehct. No objects of interest were found in the shop but in stratum F of Figure 2, under the site which the shop ultimately occupied, was found the clay figurine of Venus (see Appendix 3). THE BRANCH ROAB A few yards west of the shop is a weU made road, which branches at right angles from the Watling Street and thus runs north-south. Its position is indicated in Figure 1, and a section through it is given in Figure 3. It wUl be seen from the section that there are two superimposed roads. The first road (II, in the section) has a flint base with a pebble surface. The second and final road (III in the section) has a chaUt base, capped with flints and probably gravel, although most of this has been removed by the plough. The early road is 27 feet wide and the later road just under 25 feet wide. This is unusuaUy wide for a road, particularly a branch one, but there is a reason for it as wUl shortly be seen. The first road overhes a dehberately laid clay layer which seals stratum B of Hadrianic date. It is clear that the road must also be of this date or a httle later, probably early Antonine. Between roads I I and I I I were found several sherds of pottery of late second century date. Thus the road was probably rebuUt at this time, when the shop was constructed, or at the latest, in the early third century. 80