DEVA VICTRIX, Chester's In Situ Roman Remains, Part 4 

The real joy of Pastfinder films is the the amount of hidden history that is only hidden because we don't know where to look, that your films bring to the surface. As ever, top job Bob.

So interesting, and nice to see no happy clappy tv presenters, just pure walk through history. Thank you.

Great, I've been waiting for part 4 - thanks for your hard work and diligence. Those tombstones are fascinating.

Another fascinating explore Bob.

This is a really good video. The bridge is especially difficult. The debris field and likely pier bases will be from the Roman bridge. I would expect the earliest Roman bridge to have been the stone pier and timber superstructure design, although we have no idea if it was rebuilt in stone, possibly in the Third Century during the great stone rebuilding of the fortress, resulting in the most complete stone phase of Deva. Medieval rolls, however, report the funding of repairs to the derelict bridge with timber - that doesn't mean it was still the timber superstructure as the broken stone bridge could have been repaired with wood. It's a difficult problem, and arguably has no resolution with so little evidence. Given the status of the fortress, both at the beginning and in the Third Century rebuild, I would be surprised if there had not been a full stone bridge. I have also noticed the construction pavement beneath the arches - a Roman and Medieval technique, which can be examined in detail at Piercebridge, where the remains of the bridge are now well away from the river. Upper Bridge Street aligns nicely with the bridge and Watling Street as it crosses the bridge, the line of the debris field. Lower Bridge Street is later and aligns with the Old Dee Bridge and Medieval road path. Very little serious work has ever been done on the Old Dee Bridge and the Roman crossing here. Recognition of the pier bases seems largely accepted, but remains to be proved. As you noted, there are also natural plates of sandstone along that line that will be part of the shallow bedrock here, like a terrace, but which clearly have also been worked to have straight edges. Again - a very decent video.

I thought the pronunciation was pretty good, the only obvious error was “Grosvenor” the S is silent as is always pronounced “Grovenor”. Really good series, as a born and bread cestrian you really showed and taught me a lot I didn’t know and haven’t seen. I must pay more attention next time I’m back there. Thanks

Hi Bob, What a great series this has been, really enjoyed it. Interesting that they think it was a wooden bridge on stone foundations, I didnt realise it was still tidal at this point - I thought you were going to brave the waters for a couple of moments, the mud looked more treacherous than the water. The tombstones were the highlight in this one, they wouldnt look out of place in a later day graveyard. On one of them you mentioned that the person was based in South West Spain, did you work out where, maybe I didnt catch the name? I bet there are still more things waiting to be discovered too. All the best!!

Thank you for the video. Where did you read or learn about the tomb stones being placed in the wall around the 4th century? My reason for asking is because where the wall extends to the point as far as the Water tower, is, from what I’ve read, built in the 4th century as there was the believed threat of the Barbarians attacking so I’m just thinking the 4th C date of the tomb stones fits in perfectly with that theory.

No one knows what spoken Latin sounded like.