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The Roman road and eighteenth-century coaching road north of Pyecombe church is a palimpsest of two distinct periods of communication infrastructure utilising the same route through the Sussex landscape. The Roman phase represents part of the regional network of imperial roads that facilitated military and commercial movement across southern Britain, while the subsequent coaching road reflects the intensified traffic demands of the early modern period when this route became an established thoroughfare for long-distance travel. The monument preserves evidence of both the Roman metalling and the later modifications and wear patterns characteristic of heavy coaching traffic. This continuity of route use across nearly two millennia demonstrates the enduring importance of this crossing of the South Downs to successive societies.
Roman road and 18th century coaching road N of Pyecombe church is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005821. View the official record →
The Roman road and eighteenth-century coaching road north of Pyecombe church is a palimpsest of two distinct periods of communication infrastructure utilising the same route through the Sussex landscape. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005821.
Roman road and 18th century coaching road N of Pyecombe church 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 1005821.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dovecote at Patcham Court Farm, 80m north west of All Saints Church (4.1 km), Earthworks and lynchets near Eastwick Barn, Patcham (4.4 km), Prehistoric linear boundary and Bronze Age bowl barrow in Pudding Bag Wood, 350m south of Upper Lodges (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Roman road and 18th century coaching road N of Pyecombe church's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Roman road and 18th century coaching road N of Pyecombe church stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.