Postcards from Viroconium

[shewhomust]

I knew nothing about Wroxeter Roman City until we happened to find ourselves there, with just time for a quick visit. Once, English Heritage tell us, it was the fourth largest city in Roman Britain (I couldn't find an authoritative list, but at least oe version puts it after London, Cirencester and St Albans - and before York). I didn't know Housman's Uricon either, aand am grateful to cmcmck for the introduction.

All that survives - no, all that survives above ground, because the city extends well beyond what is now excavated, and beneath that presumably there are traces of the fort which preceded it - is the baths complex, including the magnificent stretch of wall known as the Old Work, of which the picture above is a detail.

Inevitably, then, my photographs are a bit repetitive: some old stones, a dramatic sky, what more do you want? Here's one which reveals the presence of the photographer:

Looking across the baths to a reconstructed Roman villa, which we didn't have time to visit:

Dark skies and lots of lovely hypocausts:

And once more, this time with trees:

Comments

[cmcmck]

It is an extremely photogenic place for sure!

[anef]

That wall is magnificent! Of course when it was the baths I imagine all the brickwork would have been covered in plaster (if not marble), but the structural underpinnings are lovely.

[athenais]

I remember the hypocausts! In fact, that's chiefly what I remember from our visit. Possibly I was immune to ruins and excavations when I would have rather seen something livelier. But this sky is superb, what luck to have sun and cloud in a dramatic arrangement!

[cmcmck]

There's a local legend (we live about five miles from the site) that the King of the Shropshire sparrows had the city demolished by his birds because he had been insulted by King Arthur.

[shewhomust]

Painted plaster, I think - and always hard to remember this, when you try to envisage how things used to look!

[shewhomust]

That's a great story - I hadn't come across it before!

Did you see this travel piece in yesterday's Guardian?

[shewhomust]

I thought you liked archaeology - or is that only when the Time Team are ctively digging?

Yes, I was very lucky in that light!

[cmcmck]

I have as little to do with that transphobic rag as possible, but we know the Pheasant well as it's one of our locals!

Also the home of Rowton Brewery. :o)

[shewhomust]

Fair enough. It's the least worst source of news I've found, but I do see the problem.

[athenais]

Indeed, I only came to appreciate archaeology because of TT.