Archaeologists find possible ancient route at Caernarfon housing site

Archaeologists examining land planned for 36 homes in Caernarfon have found a cobbled surface that may follow or incorporate part of a Roman road, though the evaluation did not establish its date or origin.

The two trenches containing the surface were positioned where it corresponded with an earthwork identified by LiDAR imaging and with results from a geophysical survey. The site is on agricultural land off Llanberis Road, about 750 metres from Segontium Roman fort.

A report by archaeological organisation Heneb said the artefacts point towards a late medieval or post-medieval date. It said the possibility that the feature follows or incorporates the Roman road route could not be ruled out.

The investigation focused on a suspected route between Segontium, in Caernarfon, and Canovium, at Caerhun in Conwy. The proposed alignment crosses the development site and leads towards the south-eastern entrance of Segontium, which dates to AD77.

The route had been suspected partly because an earthwork is visible on LiDAR within the site. Sections of a Roman road on the same alignment were also identified during construction of the Caernarfon bypass, about 1.6 kilometres to the north-east, according to the Heneb report.

The evaluation produced “mostly negative results”, the report said. However, it added that even evidence of a deviation from the suspected line would help map the region’s Roman road network and inform assessments of where Roman remains might be found during future development.

A medieval or post-medieval date would also be significant, the report said, because the landscape of those periods is not well understood locally. The evaluation was considered to have reduced archaeological risk, while the road’s presence, absence or possible deviation remained of interest.

Cyngor Gwynedd has granted planning permission, subject to conditions, for the development. The scheme comprises ten apartments, three bungalows and 23 houses, alongside roads, footpaths, amenity space, landscaping, drainage works and a new substation. The application was made by Daniel Parry of Adra (Tai) Cyf through planning agent Steve Grimster.

The planning conditions require a programme of archaeological work to strip, map and record the site before construction begins, with further assessment, reporting and archiving as needed. A detailed analytical report on the archaeological work must be submitted to the council within 12 months of the completion of fieldwork.

The condition is intended to provide proportionate archaeological mitigation as the housing project proceeds. The evaluation’s findings have not confirmed that the cobbled feature is Roman; its possible relationship to the route remains unresolved.

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