FOLLOWING its successful Christmas celebration in December, shared with the Literary Society and guests from Edenfield, Radcliffe Local History Society was pleased to welcome one of its own members, Ian Southern, to give an illustrated talk on The Romans in the north west.

Ian began by briefly describing the Roman invasions of Britain under Julius Caesar in 55 and 54 BC, and then the more sustained invasion in 43 AD under the Emperor Claudius. By 70 AD, they were experiencing trouble with the Brigantes tribe in the northern parts, so they pushed north to Carlisle, under Agricola, sweeping into Wales and securing both the western and eastern routes to Scotland. By 140 AD they had built Hadrian's Wall.

There is evidence remaining today of these incursions into the north and the establishment of the Northern frontier of empire. The remains of forts are the commonest occurrence of this. Frequently, the playing card-shaped ground plan of a fort is still visible, though once the forts themselves were abandoned, the stone was utilised by successive inhabitants. A church is frequently situated within the old walls of a fort, built of Roman stone. This is common in north Wales.

In Chester, the original cathedral was built of Roman stone, again within the camp's walls, and many of the shops can boast of Roman remains in their cellars. Also in Chester was one of the largest Roman amphitheatres, built to hold some 8,000 people.

Buxton was a Roman spa town, as it is today, while in the Castlefield area of Manchester, Roman remains can be found. Manchester was a meeting and dividing point of Roman roads, forking at the site of the present cathedral and progressing through Radcliffe to Ribchester, while another road crossed Blackstone to Ilkley.

Again, at Ribchester, St Wilfred's Church is constructed of Roman stone while the White Bull Inn has Roman pillars at its entrance. In Lancaster, the Priory Church utilised Roman stone, as did the castle and prison. Further north, in the Lake District, there are remains at Ravenglass and Ambleside, while at Hardknott Pass the distinctive playing card shape of its fort, adhered to in even the most difficult of terrain, can be plainly seen. The most prominent Roman feature in the north of England is, of course, Hadrian's Wall, its final defensive forts being at Maryport and Bowness on Solway, where practically the whole of the village is built of Roman stone. The construction of Hadrian's Wall, however, as Ian pointed out in his conclusion "is another story".

The Society will meet again at 7.30pm on Thursday, February 26, at Bridge Methodist Church when Ken McKenzie will take us on A Pennine Journey along the Settle and Carlisle Railway". BSB.