Roman Lane and a Work of Art
The Southwater Local History Group continue their series detailing interesting historical walks around the village
During the last lockdown we contributed a series of local history walks round the village to make your exercise a little more interesting. As we seem not to be out of the Covid woods yet, here is another for you to try.
Take a stroll down the Downs Link going south to just before the spot where the A24 passes overhead. On your right is a footpath leading up to Roman Lane, where you will see this rather impressive public art installation.
When you’ve admired the screens, you can either continue up the footpath which continues alongside the by-pass or walk up through the estate. Both will bring you out to the Worthing Road and Cripplegate Corner. The footpath can be very muddy and is quite narrow in places so you may prefer to go through the houses!
These days, before building development goes ahead, archaeologists and naturalists must survey the proposed site looking for any significant signs of history or rare wildlife. When the Roman Lane are was excavated, a Roman past, buried for over 1700 years, was discovered.
Not only that, but signs of habitation going back to the Iron Age (c400 – 150 BC) were also found. (Alas, such surveys were not so rigorously carried out when the by-pass was built – there is probably more such interesting stuff under the tarmac!)
The Southwater site revealed that it was inhabited by farmers and bore no resemblance to the magnificence of Fishbourne or Bignor. Southwater clay was as difficult to work in those times as it is now, so it’s no surprise to find there were no signs of wealth and both Romans and Iron Age farmers would have experienced the same joys of attempting to cultivate our loving Wealdon clay as we do now in our gardens but without the joys of a relaxing hot bath after a day’s digging!
Children from Castlewood Primary and Southwater Infants Academy were involved in the excavations and later also worked with the artist commissioned to create the interpretive screens, Tim Ward.
Contact Jeremy Senneck 01403 731247 for SLHG information while group meeting are suspended during the Covid19 restrictions