There's a first time for everything and last weekend TYM led us on a walk that he had planned. Up to now the boot has been on the other foot, but it felt really good to let someone else be in the driving seat. Unusually for me I knew that we were going to Silchester and that was it. Hadn't done a scrap of research so went preparing to be surprised.
First off I didn't know where the location was. It turned out that we'd parked in Berkshire and yet within a few hundred metres we had crossed the county border into Hampshire. Of course, I had to do that thing where you stand in two places at once, but I resisted the temptation of a photo recording the moment. It's hardly on the same scale of being in two countries at one or both sides of the equator is it now😀 I was intrigued by that Camino Ingles sign. It turns out that for a short while we were on St James' Way which runs for 68 miles from Reading Abbey to God's House in Southampton and is part of the English Way [one of the official pilgrim routes crisscrossing the country]. It follows the old Roman road and therein lay my biggest clue....
By the early years of the first century CE the Iron Age Atrebates tribe had established a successful base called Calleva here which had passed into Roman hands within a few years of their invasion in 43CE. The Romans built upon the success of their forebears and over time it became a thriving town laid out on the classic grid system with temples, a forum basilica, dwellings, shops, places of work, public baths, a mansio [a type of rest house for travellers like the Travel Lodge of its day] by the South Gate and even an amphitheatre at the eastern end. The remains of the amphitheatre were far more extensive than I had expected. Having spoken to a chap who was exploring too he said that it used to be flooded. Back in the day it would have seen much violence with gladiatorial combats, executions and wild animal fights. Horse bones were discovered here.
For a place that was so successful it inevitably went into decline once the Romans left, but did not follow the more usual trajectory of such places. Often you will find that over a time a Medieval town would replace it, but by the time of Domesday it is recorded as being a Medieval village and even that had disappeared by 1400. All we have remaining today are the original Roman walls with a couple of its gates. You can walk round them looking down on the original site and the 12th century church of St Mary's. Naturally I took the opportunity to have a quick lap round...not much time to dally though with the chaps with me and most of the walk still to do!
It has a charming interior with 14th century wall paintings, a Jacobean pulpit with that rather impressive domed tester above it [it acts as a sound board], a 15th century wooden angelic screen with a modern stitched kneeler to match and the effigy of Eleanor Baynard [or possibly not]. I have included her accompanying notes as they contain some interesting information about her attire and details of her tomb for anyone who might be interested to read more.
All in all a most splendid of days spent together in our little family unit. TYM even took us out for a drink to the pub afterwards. It was lovely to spend a few hours together as these times don't come around very often. We were actually helping him to recce part of the walk that he's leading for a group next month. I hope that those on it enjoy it as much as we did. Although it's owned by English Heritage, it is free entry.
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Arilx
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