The Defences

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Position of the defences on 1909 plan

You can use the Antiquaries Plan as a graphical menu to explore the buildings of Calleva. (This page contains large images and may take some time to download on slower connections)

Early Rampart

There is no certain evidence that the town was provided with any form of protection until the very end of the second century. At this time, in common with many other towns, Calleva was provided with a single rampart of clay and gravel derived from two V-shaped ditches in front of it. Accompanying this simple form of defence were much more elaborately built gates in masonry, of which the remains of the north, south and south-east gates can be seen. The remains of the brick piers which carried the gate structure are visible at the south-east gate, and the foundations of the flint and brick-faced north and south gates can be seen to the rear of the inturns of the later stone wall.

Cross-section of the late second century town defences

The position of the west and east gates, with their double-carriageways, can be identified although their structural remains are not visible above the ground.

The West Gate

Reconstruction of the west gate

The rampart itself survives as a grassy bank immediately inside the stone wall. Although Calleva's rampart, like those of other towns, is difficult to date closely, it is likely that its construction was occasioned either by the decision of the governor of Britain, Clodius Albinus, to take an army to fight with Septimius Severus for control of the empire in 196-7, or by the consequences of the damaging rebellion of the northern tribe of the Maeatae of 180-4. Although the work was carried out fairly rapidly the defences seem to have enclosed all that was practicable to defend. This probably accounts for their rough 'diamond' shape. The same course was followed when the stone wall was constructed as a replacement in the years around 260-80.

The South East gate

South-east gate from within the town 1976; brick piers encase the timber supports of the early gate, with the later town wall abutting on either side.

The South gate

left: South gate from within the town, 1975; foundations of the gate building in the foreground. In the background is the later town wall.
right: Watercolour of South Gate

Later stone wall, AD260-80

Not just in Britain, but all around the western empire, cities were providing themselves with strong defences in the face of the mounting unrest on the frontiers. The complete circuit of the wall (1½ miles; over 2.5km) survives above ground and, at its highest, now stands about 4.5m high by the south gate.

left: Cross-section of the late third century defences and city wall.
right: The late third century town wall.

Three metres thick at the base, it is built of flint quarried from the chalk and brought a distance of at least 6½ miles (10km). Every four to five courses of flint there is a bonding course of generally flattish slabs of stone. These consist of a variety of materials including limestone brought from as far afield as the Bath region about 50 miles (70-80 km). It has been estimated that at least 105,000 wagon loads of flint and 45,000 loads of bonding stones were required. Given the other requirements of materials and labour the a huge part of the resource of the civitas of the Atrebates over several years. Although the wall has lost almost all traces of its outer surface, it remains an impressive monument. The southern section, with the south gate, particularly deserves a visit. The wall was originally fronted by a broad ditch about 14m wide of which a particularly good section is preservedin the copse around the south-western part of the wall.

Imaginative reconstruction of the South Gate of Calleva Atrebatum

Within the walls the plans are known of many buildings from aerial photography and excavations. None, however, is visible above ground.

South gate in course of excavation 1975