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6 unusual facts about Watling Street


Burnt Oak tube station

Burnt Oak tube station is a London Underground station in Burnt Oak, north London, on Watling Avenue, off the A5 (the Edgware Road, originally a Roman Road known as Watling Street).

Gobannium

The invading Romans, under Publius Ostorius Scapula, needed a suitable staging post at this site between their major legionary bases and a string of forts in the interior, such as Y Gaer, Brecon and with links northwards to Watling Street, eastwards to Blestium (Monmouth) and Glevum (Gloucester).

Shifnal

Thomas Telford upgraded Watling Street the turnpike road that passed through the town in the late 18th century.

Watling Street

It led from Richborough in the south-east by way of a ford of the Thames at present-day Westminster to near Wroxeter, where one section went on to Holyhead and another, by way of Chester, on towards Scotland.

Whilton Locks

Just before the final lock, the canal passes under Watling Street, once a Roman road and now part of the A5 road.

Wilnecote railway station

The station is situated beneath a bridge which carries the former A5 Watling Street.


Betsham

The hamlet was formerly called Bedesham and lies on the road that leads from Green Street Green (formerly Greensted-green) in the parish of Darenth to Southfleet railway station and thence to Wingfield-bank,Northfleet where it meets the ancient Roman highway Watling Street (A2 motorway), which runs along the northern side of this parish.

Bletchley

Perhaps its most famous residents are Milton Keynes Dons F.C., in Denbigh North, and their former club sponsors Marshall Amplification, just across the old Watling Street in Denbigh West.

M54 motorway

The idea of the M54 was originally presented due to the high volumes of traffic on the A5, London to Holyhead road which was largely constructed by civil engineer Thomas Telford in the early 19th century following the route of the Roman Watling Street, which connected Rochester, Kent with Wroxeter, Shropshire.

Newnham, Kent

The valley road was a highway in Norman times, linking the Roman Watling Street (Dover and Canterbury to London, the A2) to the Pilgrims' Way on the other side of the downs.

Stretton, South Staffordshire

The A5 is Watling Street, a notable Roman Road, and another Roman road passes through Stretton from Mediolanum (Whitchurch), forming a junction with Watling Street near to the bridge over the River Penk.


see also

Battle of Watling Street

Most historians favour a site in the Midlands, probably along the Roman road of Watling Street between Londinium and Viroconium (Wroxeter in Shropshire), now the A5.

Denbigh, Milton Keynes

These lands to the east of Watling Street were originally in the manor of Simpson.

One New Change

It is bounded by Cheapside to the north, Bread Street to the east, Watling Street to the south, and New Change to the west.

Roman roads in Britain

Chaucer's pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales almost certainly used Watling Street to travel from Southwark to Canterbury.

Westcotes

A second road ran directly westwards to join Watling Street, another important Roman Road, at Mancetter in Warwickshire.