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Roman Reedham Rediscovered


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In the late 19th century the then rector of Reedham unearthed the remains of what he described as a Roman lighthouse, the inference being that its function was to guide shipping across the "great estuary",( which the Victorians believed - to Timbo's fury-  to have existed at the time of the Roman occupation), towards a safe harbour in the embayment which is evident in the marshes to the south of Reedham church. The rector wasn't very specific about the location of these remains, subsequent efforts to find them were unsuccessful, and the whole business had rather assumed the status of an unsubstantiated local legend.

Recent researches by Michael Fulford OBE FBA of Reading University have, however, come up trumps. Here are a couple of extracts from his report dated 8th May.

"Geophysical survey using ground penetrating radar inside the church and in the surrounding churchyard produced promising results which have been followed up with targeted small-scale excavations. Two weeks ago these produced convincing evidence of a substantial Roman foundation running over a distance of over 23 metres more or less parallel with and adjacent to the north wall of the church and its great tower at its west end . . . . ."

 "What can we deduce from these preliminary results? First that the church of St Jon the Baptist is on the site of a substantial Roman building, the dimensions and scale of whose foundations already imply a defended or military structure rather than a domestic building such as a villa. Second the overall dimensions, while indicating rather more than just a lighthouse, do not suggest a fort of any great size. Perhaps what we are looking at are the remains of a fortified watch tower (or burgus), with the tower at the west end of a small rectangular, defended enclosure, capable of housing a small garrison . . . ."

Anybody interested will find the full report on the Facebook page of the Reedham and District Local History and Archaeology Group.

Bill Saunders

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Thank you for that Bill, very interesting. We are learning more of our past all the time.

I wonder, might this have also been a system of signalling? The tower would have a clear view of the fortifications at Caister and Burgh. It may also have been visible from Norwich - across the Great Estuary of course.  :hardhat:  :hiding:

In Napoleonic times in France, General Chappe instituted a system of military signal towers, with a mast and arms, similar to semaphore. On a clear day it was said to be possible to send a signal from Toulouse to Paris in two hours. There are two examples of the old "Tour Chappe" in towns near us.

Could this have been something similar?

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Quick glance chaps as I'm out in the field myself today. The wall is not big enough. A mortared surface does not a lighthouse make. It's also in the wrong place according to the Geophys. Excavation of the plot of assumed pharos on geophys showed nothing but natural. The geophys is more indicative of a mansio or smaller, think Premier Inn and Truck Stop with a guard to watch your ox cart.    

I'd wait for Mick Fulford to publish rather than the amateur group. Mick's report will be a bit more...'It's a wall section and mortared surface' than we've found a pharos. 

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The Romans also built on the high ground at Burgh St Peter, on the banks of the Waveney. Come to that, they also built at Burgh Castle, on the high ground, on the banks of the Waveney. Perhaps building on the high ground at Reedham, on the banks of the Yare, wasn't such a bad idea after all?

Burgh St Peters Roman remains..JPG

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The short extracts which I quoted were from Michael Fulford's own Press Release. This is his final sentence:

"Our Reedham structure could have fulfilled most of the functions previously speculated: watchtower, lighthouse, signal station, watching over the then open waters of the estuaries of the Bure, Yare and Waveney, and co-ordinating communications between other nearby, late Roman coastal forts at Caister and Burgh Castle and the fortified capital of the Iceni (Venta Icenorum), a dozen or so miles to the west."

The words which I have put in italics will, I fear, do your blood pressure no good at all, Timbo, and I personally would rule out the pharos/lighthouse idea, because I don't believe the state of the "estuary" could ever have been such as to provide a viable anchorage at Reedham away from the main river channel.

I'm confident the watchtower/signal station concept is correct. As Vaughan rightly points out, both Caister and Burgh Castle are still, despite trees, in direct line of sight from the vicinity, even at ground level. There is higher ground blocking a direct view towards Norwich, but it is solid ground, so messages from Reedham to Caister St.Edmund could have been by galloper.

Bill Saunders

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