Archaeologists find a 2,000-year-old wooden construction along the River Wye, which they believe to be the ancient bridge that formerly connected England and Wales
Chepstow, a border town rich in history, is referred to be the entrance to Wales.
An ancient bridge – believed to have been built by the Romans 2,000 years ago – was found preserved in mud in the River Wye near Chepstow
Although it has a Norman castle from the 12th century that looks out over the River Wye, it was regarded as a strategic fortress long before those battle lines were established.
This is so that it's clear that fortifications from the prehistoric, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon periods, as well as anything new, have all been fortified in the past.
Archaeologists had just a two-hour window to dig it out and had to be assisted by specialist rescue teams because of the perilous nature of their task
It turns out that the town was previously the location of a historic bridge connecting England and Wales before the two nations existed.
The Romans are thought to have erected this wooden construction, which was discovered preserved in mud after a race against time to find it during a "extreme low tide event."
Samples were taken from the timbers, which will now undergo carbon dating to determine the bridge's exact age
The timbers were sampled, and the carbon dating process will now be used to determine the actual age of the bridge.
Due to the hazardous nature of their work, archaeologists only had a two-hour window to dig it out and need the assistance of specialized rescue squads.
Between Chepstow and the Gloucestershire settlement of Tutshill, about half a mile upstream, the historic crossing connects a path between Wales and England.
The ancient crossing links a route between Wales and England from around half a mile upstream of Chepstow to the village of Tutshill in Gloucestershire
Chepstow Archaeological Society (CAS) member Simon Maddison said: “The team were able to locate upright timbers in a tidal pool on the location of the Roman crossing. Until the results come back we won't know for sure the period of the structure. We are thrilled with what we were able to achieve and await dating results with keen anticipation.”
Members of the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA), who were brought to the scene by boat, assisted CAS experts by helping part of the crew descend from the bank using mud stretchers.
As Mr. Maddison mentioned: “The mud was very dense and very sticky, and we frequently got stuck in it. Without SARA it would have been impossibly dangerous.”
SARA Beachley posted photos of the muddy dig, saying: “Something different last Friday! A small SARA team provided safety cover and other muddy assistance to a group from the Chepstow Archaeological Society, investigating the site of the Roman bridge across the Wye just above Chepstow Castle. "With amazing results, as these photos show! This was our second such outing, and followed a visit in May which was something of a detailed reconnaissance.”
The bridge was previously discovered and partially excavated in 1911 by Dr Orville Owen. It also appeared on an old Ordnance Survey map at around the same time but has been buried in mud ever since
They added: “Both visits were arranged for the bottom of spring tides, to give the maximum exposure of the area. And this meant that both outings provided a lot of good training value for us, with boat handling in shallow and pretty fast moving water as well as operating in the mud, as well as helping with the archaeology.”
Dr. Orville Owen first discovered and partially excavated the bridge in 1911.
Simon Maddison, of the Chepstow Archaeological Society (CAS), said: 'The team were able to locate upright timbers in a tidal pool on the location of the Roman crossing'
Around the same period, it was also depicted on an outdated Ordnance Survey map, but it has since been covered in mud.
“It was recorded but we did not know exactly where it was,” Mr Maddison said. “Detective work on the drawings in Chepstow Museum enabled us to pinpoint its likely location and this proved to be correct.”
Later, a bridge known as The Old Wye Bridge was constructed not far from the 950-year-old Chepstow Castle.
This was built in 1816 out of cast iron and stone, and it has been given the designation of Grade I listed building.
'We are thrilled with what we were able to achieve and await dating results with keen anticipation,' Mr Maddison said
Known as the gateway to Wales, Chepstow is a border town steeped in history. It boasts a 12th-century Norman castle overlooking the River Wye but was seen as a strategic stronghold long before those battle lines were drawn