Details

The monument includes part of a Roman camp visible as a parch mark on aerial
photographs. The marks reveal an L-shaped ditch cutting across the meadow to
the south of Hoole Hall. This forms two sides of a camp. The other two sides
of the camp are postulated to have lain under the main road (the A41) to the
west and the former entrance driveway to Hoole Hall to the north. This camp is
one of a group of Roman earthwork camps in the fields of Upton, Hoole Village,
Christleton and Waverton. They are interpreted as having been constructed as
practice camps by Roman troops from the garrison at Chester.
The eastern side of the camp measures 120m and the southern side 120m where
they are visible. The corner is rounded in the typical form of Roman camps.
Each side has a gap of 30m in what was the central position on the plan of the
original fort. Both gaps are protected by external earthwork projections
called `claviculae' extending for 40m at 45 degrees from one end of the gap.
By analogy with other Roman camps this one would have had a V-cut ditch with a
rampart inside measuring 6m wide at the base. The rampart has been spread and
the ditch infilled by later ploughing.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Roman camps are rectangular or sub-rectangular enclosures which were
constructed and used by Roman soldiers either when out on campaign or as
practice camps; most campaign camps were only temporary overnight bases and
few were used for longer periods. They were bounded by a single earthen
rampart and outer ditch and in plan are always straight-sided with rounded
corners. Normally they have between one and four entrances, although as many
as eleven have been recorded. Such entrances were usually centrally placed in
the sides of the camp and were often protected by additional defensive
outworks. Roman camps are found throughout much of England, although most
known examples lie in the midlands and north. Around 140 examples have been
identified and, as one of the various types of defensive enclosure built by
the Roman Army, particularly in hostile upland and frontier areas, they
provide an important insight into Roman military strategy and organisation.
All well-preserved examples are identified as being of national importance.

The Roman camp south of Hoole Hall is one of an important group now identified
in the fields to the east of Chester City. Such groups are unusual and they
will provide evidence of the construction and use of earthwork camps elsewhere
in the British Isles. In addition they provide information on the activities
of the garrison in the fortress at Chester. This camp survives reasonably well
where it has not been destroyed by later road building. The ditch and rampart
will survive under the ploughsoil and the interior will contain evidence of
temporary buildings and pits for latrines and the disposal of refuse.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
RCHME, , Upton Heath, (1989)
Other
Collens, J and Philpott, R, (1995)

Source: Historic England