A question of roads: Part 1, Romans and 'Dark Age'
This question of roads came up in passing last week, and so I thought it'd be worth a closer look.
The point raised was basically, just how old is the A6?
The answer as always is not an easy straight one, and it's best answered by looking at the wider area.
We have no insights into the roads and tracks used before the Roman invasion, but doubtless they existed.
On the other hand, we have a fair idea of roads made by the Romans, as shown on this map by Wigan Archaeology Society.
This suggests that the line of the A6 could have been an alternative route between Manchester and Walton-le-Dale.....but more direct evidence is needed before we can safely say this was the case.
When the Romans left Britain the urban and military economy collapsed and there was no call for long-distance roads - roads intended for heavy traffic, be it wheeled or on foot. So most sections of most Roman roads rapidly returned to nature, although they are a chunky bit of engineering and so tend to be easily found if you want to look for them. They often became boundaries between property, and some short sections simply remained in use although they became more and more broken up.
The western road line you see on the map above, from Wilderspool to Walton-le-Dale, seems to have been a case in point. The salt mines of Cheshire remained in production although on a small scale in the time between 400 and 1100 AD, and salt is one of the few commodities that was definitely carried over long distances. Some historians call this north-south road 'the salt route'.
The point raised was basically, just how old is the A6?
The answer as always is not an easy straight one, and it's best answered by looking at the wider area.
We have no insights into the roads and tracks used before the Roman invasion, but doubtless they existed.
On the other hand, we have a fair idea of roads made by the Romans, as shown on this map by Wigan Archaeology Society.
This suggests that the line of the A6 could have been an alternative route between Manchester and Walton-le-Dale.....but more direct evidence is needed before we can safely say this was the case.
When the Romans left Britain the urban and military economy collapsed and there was no call for long-distance roads - roads intended for heavy traffic, be it wheeled or on foot. So most sections of most Roman roads rapidly returned to nature, although they are a chunky bit of engineering and so tend to be easily found if you want to look for them. They often became boundaries between property, and some short sections simply remained in use although they became more and more broken up.
The western road line you see on the map above, from Wilderspool to Walton-le-Dale, seems to have been a case in point. The salt mines of Cheshire remained in production although on a small scale in the time between 400 and 1100 AD, and salt is one of the few commodities that was definitely carried over long distances. Some historians call this north-south road 'the salt route'.