Roman bridge in Chepstow river Wye mud - diggers await dates

Chepstow Archaeological Society, with help from the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) carried out an excavation of the western bank of the Wye near the town last week.

CAS member Simon Maddison explained the dig had been made possible due to the "extreme low tide event last Friday" (August 4).

The team only had a two-hour dig window, but the race against time proved to be worth it - with the discovery of a wooden structure which could date back as far as the Roman occupation.

The structure, thought to be a bridge or a pier, had been lost to history since the turn of the century - when it had been discovered by a Dr Owen.

However, it had lain buried by deep mud for more than 100 years until the CAS turned up.

"The team were able to locate upright timbers in a tidal pool on the location of the Roman crossing," Mr Maddison said.

"Excavating around these we were able to expose very substantial timbers and beautiful joints that are probably part of an original pier and cutwater."

Timber samples were taken for and carbon dating.

"Until the results come back we won't know for sure the period of the structure," Mr Maddison explained.

"We are thrilled with what we were able to achieve and await dating results with keen anticipation."

Apart from the very tight time window, conditions were challenging to say the least.

SARA helped some of the team down off the bank using mud stretchers, with the others coming in by boat.

"The mud was very dense and very sticky, and we frequently got stuck in it. Without SARA it would have been impossibly dangerous," Mr Maddison said.

An extract from an early Ordnance Survey (OS) map from the National Library of Scotland (above) shows the ancient bridge between Castleford and the woods beneath Piercefield.

It is located around half a mile upstream of Chepstow. The old Roman road that runs down the meadow is also shown.

Mr Maddison explained that the modern OS maps do not show this road anymore.

In 1911, Dr Owen excavated in the river and uncovered the timber structure CAS exposed last week.

"It was recorded but we did not know exactly where it was," Mr Maddison said.

"Detective work on the drawings in Chepstow Museum enabled us to pinpoint its likely location and this proved to be correct."