Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum) - Town

Lost in a maze of rural lanes north of Basingstoke, the walls of Silchester ** - the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum - evoke a powerful sense of the passage of history. A significant urban centre in both Iron Age and Roman times, the site was subsequently abandoned, with only a church and a few houses now lying within the town's original boundaries. 

For this visitor, the site is both impressive and frustrating: while much of the Roman town's layout is known through excavations and surveys, nothing is now visible of the many structures that have been discovered within the walls. And to see some of the fascinating finds from years of excavations in the town a visit is needed to Reading Museum's (albeit excellent) Silchester Galleries (blog here) as there is no on-site museum. But on the plus side, it is now possible to walk the full circuit of the town's walls and visit the nearby amphitheatre.

Silchester - part of the north-east town wall

Background & Context

Silchester was an important place even before the Roman conquest. The walls of the Roman town follow a similar course to some of the earthwork boundaries of its Iron Age predecessor - the oppidum of Calleva, a name that appears in a shortened form on local Iron Age coinage. 

While Silchester's location might appear slightly arbitrary to the modern visitor, it makes more sense when you consider the local landform. The Iron Age oppidum was established on high ground with expansive views to the south, while to the north the land falls away gradually to the Thames valley. It is a commanding site and, moreover, is well placed in respect of wider travel routes. The Roman town was to end up as the meeting point of six major roads, linking Silchester to London, Chichester, Winchester, Dorchester (via Salisbury), Cirencester/Bath and Dorchester-on-Thames.  

Although its early origins are murky, Calleva ended up as the capital of the Atrebates, a tribe originating in northern France that may have fled Gaul under the leader Commius at the time of Julius Caesar's invasion around 50 BCE. Within southern England, the tribe's territory extended from what is now Surrey to eastern Wiltshire. The Iron Age oppidum developed towards the end of the 1st century BCE, reaching a substantial size (around 32 hectares) with timber buildings arranged in an informal grid plan. The built up area was surrounded by several circuits of earth banks and ditches: some of these early ditches can still be seen, notably the outer boundary ditch near to the car park (below).

Silchester - outer boundary ditch of the Iron Age oppidum (next to the path from the car park)

Silchester was taken by a Roman legion commanded by the future emperor Vespasian around 43-44 CE. From coin evidence, it seems that the oppidum was then occupied by another tribe - the Catuvellauni, originating from the Essex area. Caratacus of the Catuvellauni tried to resist the Roman invasion, so Silchester would have been an important target for Vespasian's advance. Military finds from Silchester show that the Roman army spent several years here, possibly occupying earlier buildings, but a permanent fort does not seem to have been established. The town may then have passed into the control of Cogidubnus (or Togidubnus), a 'client king' favoured by the Romans who was based in the Chichester area - probably at Fishbourne Palace.

Substantial building took place at Silchester under the reign of the emperor Nero (54-68 CE), including the establishment of a formal street grid and the erection of public buildings such as a bath-house - although many features of the Iron Age oppidum remained in use. Further buildings were added in later years including a forum-basilica. The first Roman defensive circuit of earth ramparts with double ditches was constructed around the end of the 2nd century, being strengthened with the addition of a stone wall (and removal of one of the two ditches) around 280 CE.

Silchester - model of town looking east - Reading Museum

The town continued to function up to the end of Roman rule in the early 5th century, but decline then set in. There is some evidence of occupation into the 6th and 7th centuries, but eventually Silchester was overtaken by the important Saxon centres of Winchester and Dorchester-upon-Thames. A church was built in medieval times (on land previously occupied by Roman temples), but the associated settlement remained small. 

The substantial remaining Roman town walls attracted antiquarian interest as early as the 16th century, with excavations starting in the late 1800s and continuing into modern times. One particular block (insula IX) has been the focus of a long-running Reading University project (Fulford, 2014b).  An impressive collection of finds from the site can be viewed at Reading Museum, the highlight being the superb Silchester Eagle (below), found in the forum-basilica in 1866. The museum will be the subject of a separate blog post.

Bronze eagle from Silchester - Reading Museum

Location & Access

Silchester Roman Town lies in a tangle of rural lanes, making it difficult to give precise directions. Fortunately, the site is well signposted, the best approach starting from the A350 between Basingstoke and Tadley. The signs take you to a car park near the site's west gate. Parking is chargable, and payment can only be made by a parking app (RingGo at the time of my visit), so you may want to download this before your visit. The car park has a height restriction (no camper vans) and overnight parking is not allowed. A good footpath links the car park to the town walls. Allow 2-3 hours to walk around the whole circuit (including a detour to visit the amphitheatre), although the can be shortened as described below.

Limited free parking is available on the eastern side of the town walls, although the church car park should be avoided during services. There is no public transport in the site's vicinity.

Date of my Visit

The photographs in this blog post date from my visit in 2026. 

Exploring Silchester

The tour starts at the car park, which lies just outside an outer boundary ditch of the Iron Age oppidum; this can be seen in the trees on the left of the footpath after leaving the car park (see the photo earlier in this post). A short walk of 5 to 10 minutes brings to you the line of the Roman town walls. Here there is a junction of four paths. A bridleway continues straight on through the middle of the Roman town, passing between the site of the forum-basilica and insula XI (see above) - although none of these buildings are now visible. In fact, no structures within the town walls can now be viewed.

A better choice here is to turn left and start a clockwise circuit of the town walls. After a wooden gate, the path splits with one branch running along the top of the embankment inside the wall. This offers the best views of the Roman masonry (below).

Silchester - north-western town wall

While most Roman forts and some Roman towns (such as Caerwent and Aldborough) had an approximately rectangular plan, the defences of Silchester form a seven-sided polygon (below) that seems heavily influenced by the shape of the Iron Age oppidum and its defences. An Iron Age ditch crosses diagonally the north-western stretch of wall that you have just walked along, although this wasn't easily visible on my visit.

Silchester town plan - photo of on-site signage near the point where the car park path meets the wall circuit. North is to the left.

At the first bend in the wall, the north gate (below) is reached. The flint stonework here includes two bands of dressed darker ironstone. The main road to Dorchester-on-Thames would have passed through a single arch here. Only two of the town gates (east and west) had double carriageways; unfortunately neither of these are as well preserved as the smaller north and south gates.

Silchester - north gate.

Silchester - north gate (detail)

From the north gate the wall's north-eastern section continues towards the amphitheatre. While the guidebook suggests that you can walk outside the wall at this point, the area between the wall and the outer ditch was so overgrown at the time of my visit (below) that I stayed on the embankment.

 

Silchester - north-east wall

At several points along this section of the wall (and elsewhere on the circuit) small buttresses had been built on the wall's inside face (below). The purpose of these is unclear, although they may have provided access to a higher level wall walk.

Silchester - buttress on inner face of north-east wall.

At the end of this section a path heads left down across the ditch towards the amphitheatre. There was originally a postern gate here, but this is not easily seen. Follow the side path, go through a gate and cross the lane. A second gate leads you to the amphitheatre (below).

Silchester - entrance to the amphitheatre

This is an evocative site, giving a sense of history that somehow seems to be lacking from other British amphitheatres. The high trees on the earthwork banks give a sense of enclosure, while the gravelled floor may well be closer to the arena's original appearance than grassed sites such as at Caerleon or Dorchester. The base of a stone retaining wall sits at the base of the earth banks, which would have held timber seating. Each side of the ellipse contained a small stone-walled recess - still visible (below) - while small 'weep-holes' allowed water to drain out of the seating banks.

Silchester - recess in south-east side of the amphitheatre

Another path takes you from the amphitheatre to the lane. Turn left and follow the road around the corner towards the church. Before you reach the church a footpath heads off to the right; this is the other end of the bridleway that runs across the site to where we first joined the town walls and would make a good route back to the car park if you wish to shorten your walk. The bridleway passes through the site of the town's east gate - of which very little is now visible.

It's worth continuing the circuit, however, as the best-preserved sections of the town wall are yet to come. The course of the wall becomes visible again at St Mary's Church (12th century), which incorporates much Roman stonework.

Silchester - St Mary's Church with the town wall's eastern section in the foreground

Follow the lane a short distance further (note that there is no footway here) next to an overgrown section of the town wall. At a small lay-by there is a modern gap in the wall, and the circuit then continues away from the road. A gate here leads to a path that runs outside the line of the wall's south-eastern and southern sections.

Silchester - south eastern section of town wall.

Before the next turn of the wall a gap marks the site of a small postern gate. Some brick piers that would have supported the gate structure are just above visible here (below).

Silchester - site of south-eastern postern gate

The town wall bends again, marking the start of its southern section, which is broken by the south gate. This is of a similar size and design to the north gate, although somewhat better preserved.

Silchester - town wall (southern section)

Silchester - south gate

From this position, the town's raised position is most easily appreciated, with wide views to the south. Earlier Iron Age defences crossed the field to the south of this gate, but are difficult to now make out. From the south gate most of the rest of the wall circuit is in woodland, which came as a great relief on the hot and sunny day of my visit. While this section of the town wall is largely covered by vegetation, the Roman boundary ditch (on the left of the path) is much better preserved here.

Silchester - town wall (western section). The base is a 20th century reconstruction.

  

Silchester - more of the western town wall is overgrown

Silchester - western Roman boundary ditch

The path by the wall pops out of the trees near the site of the west gate. At the time of my visit this was very overgrown and no stonework was visible. It may be easier to see in the winter months!

It is now just a short distance to the junction of paths from where a right turn will return you to the car park.

References

Fulford, Michael (2014a) "The Roman period: resource assessment." Solent-Thames Research Framework for the Historic Environment: resource assessments and research agendas, Oxford Wessex Monogr 6 pp. 155-78. - link

Fulford, Michael (2014b) "Silchester: the town life project 1997-2014: reflections on a long term research excavation." TRAC pp. 114-21. - link

Fulford, Michael, Clarke, Amanda, Durham, Emma, Fry, Rob, Machin, Sara, Pankhurst, Nicholas and Wheeler, Dan (2016). Silchester Roman Town. English Heritage. (Summary of bath-house excavations) - link

Fulford, Michael (2017) Silchester Roman Town. English Heritage guidebook.

Millett, Martin (2015) 'Silchester Insula IX: the excavations in perspective.' The Antiquaries Journal pp. 1-14. - link

(See also the general References page of this blog).

Text and photographs (c) Mike Hetherington. Visits to sites described in this blog are at your own risk.