Scheduled MonumentsEnglandRoman forts at Metchley

Roman forts at Metchley

England
List entry 1020977
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020977
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
3.43 hectares
Grid reference
SP 04243 83710, SP 04409 83813, SP 04405 83747, SP 04415 83658, SP 04270 83633
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Metchley is a Roman fort situated near Birmingham in Warwickshire, England, dating to the late first century AD. The fort was established during the Roman advance into the Midlands, likely in the late 70s or early 80s AD, and served as a strategic military installation during the campaigns of Agricola and subsequent consolidation of Roman Britain. Archaeological investigation has revealed the remains of defensive ditches and structural evidence indicating a typical playing-card layout characteristic of Roman auxiliary forts. The site is significant for understanding Roman military deployment in the central regions of Britain and the infrastructure required to support the occupation and subjugation of the Welsh borderlands and surrounding territories.

Roman forts at Metchley is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020977. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Roman forts at Metchley?

Metchley is a Roman fort situated near Birmingham in Warwickshire, England, dating to the late first century AD. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020977.

Who is responsible for protecting Roman forts at Metchley?

Roman forts at Metchley is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1020977.

What other scheduled monuments are near Roman forts at Metchley?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Weoley Castle (2.3 km), Burnt mounds in Woodlands Park, 540m and 640m west of The Pavilion (3.4 km), The de Birmingham moated site, the seat of the medieval Lords of Birmingham (4.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Roman forts at Metchley

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Roman forts at Metchley's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Roman forts at Metchley

Roman forts at Metchley stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.