The old bridge that once connected England and Wales: archaeologists discover a 2,000-year-old wooden structure on the River Wye
Known as the gateway to Wales, Chepstow is a border town steeped in history.
It features a 12th-century Norman castle overlooking the River Wye, but was considered a strategic stronghold long before these battle lines were defined.
That’s because archaeologists have previously uncovered evidence of prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon fortifications – and now something else.
It turns out that the town was once home to an old bridge that connected England and Wales before the two countries came into existence.
This wooden structure, believed to have been built by the Romans 2,000 years ago, was found preserved in mud after a race against time to be uncovered during an “extreme low tide event”.
An ancient bridge – believed to have been built by the Romans 2,000 years ago – has been found in the mud in the River Wye near Chepstow
The archaeologists had only two hours for the excavation and they had to be assisted by specialized rescue teams due to the dangerous nature of their task
Samples were taken of the timbers and are now being carbon dated to determine the exact age of the bridge.
The archaeologists had only two hours for the excavation and they had to be assisted by specialized rescue teams due to the dangerous nature of their task.
The old junction joins a route between Wales and England of about half a mile upstream from Chepstow to the village of Tutshill in Gloucestershire.
Simon Maddison of the Chepstow Archaeological Society (CAS) said: “The team was able to locate upright beams in a tidal pool at the site of the Roman crossing.”
“Until the results are in, we won’t know exactly the timeframe of the structure.”
“We are thrilled with what we have been able to achieve and eagerly await the dating results.”
Experts from CAS were joined by members of the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) who helped Part of the team fell off the bank with the help of mud stretchers, which were brought to the site by boat.
Mr Maddison said: “The mud was very thick and very sticky and we got stuck in it a lot.” “Without SARA it would have been incredibly dangerous.”
Samples were taken of the timbers and are now being carbon dated to determine the exact age of the bridge
The old junction joins a route between Wales and England of about half a mile upstream from Chepstow to the village of Tutshill in Gloucestershire
CAS experts were assisted by members of the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) who helped part of the team descend from the shore using mud stretchers brought to the site by boat
The bridge was built in 1911 by Dr. Orville Owen discovered and partially excavated. It also appeared on an old Ordnance Survey map around the same time, but has since been buried in mud
SARA Beachley released photos of the muddy dig and said: “Last Friday was something different!” A small SARA team provided security protection and other muddy assistance to a group from the Chepstow Archaeological Society and surveyed the site of the Roman bridge over the Wye just above Chepstow Castle.
“With amazing results as these photos show!”
“This was our second trip of this nature, following a visit in May which was a sort of detailed reconnaissance.”
They added: “Both visits were organized for the reason of the spring tides to ensure maximum visibility of the area.”
“And that meant that both trips provided great training value for us, with handling the boat in shallow and fairly fast moving water and working in the mud and assisting with archaeology.”
Simon Maddison of the Chepstow Archaeological Society (CAS) said: “The team was able to locate upright beams in a tidal pool at the site of the Roman crossing.”
He added: “Until the results come in, we won’t know for sure the timeframe of the structure.”
“We are thrilled with what we have been able to achieve and eagerly await the dating results,” said Mr. Maddison
Known as the gateway to Wales, Chepstow is a border town steeped in history. It features a 12th-century Norman castle overlooking the River Wye, but was considered a strategic stronghold long before these battle lines were defined
The bridge was built in 1911 by Dr. Orville Owen discovered and partially excavated.
It also appeared on an old Ordnance Survey map around the same time, but has since been buried in mud.
“It was recorded but we didn’t know exactly where it was,” Mr Maddison said.
“Detective work on the drawings in the Chepstow Museum enabled us to determine the probable location and that proved correct.”
Another bridge called The Old Wye Bridge was later built near the 950 year old Chepstow Castle.
It was built in cast iron and stone in 1816 and is listed as a Historical Monument.