The Augill signal station sits immediately east of Augill Bridge in the upper Eden Valley, on the line of the Roman road (the modern A66) running between Brough-under-Stainmore (Verteris) and Bowes (Lavatrae) across the Stainmore Pass. It is one of a chain of small watchtowers strung along this trans-Pennine route, likely established in the late 1st or 2nd century AD and possibly maintained, with refurbishment, into the 4th century, as is documented at the better-known Stainmore towers.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The site formed part of the signalling and surveillance system protecting the strategic Stainmore corridor, which linked the legionary fortress at York with Carlisle and the western frontier, and connected the forts of Brough, Maiden Castle, Roper Castle, Bowes Moor and Bowes. Augill is a near-equivalent of these towers and reflects the military investment in securing one of the most exposed road crossings in northern Britain.
Very little has been published on Augill specifically; the site is identified largely from topographic survey and its position within the Stainmore tower sequence, and any structural evidence has been obscured by the later post-medieval lead-smelting mill, reservoir, leats and flue complex that overlie or adjoin it. No formal excavation results are recorded, and its identification rests on analogy with the excavated towers at Roper Castle and Bowes
The Augill signal station sits immediately east of Augill Bridge in the upper Eden Valley, on the line of the Roman road (the modern A66) running between Brough-under-Stainmore (Verteris) and Bowes (Lavatrae) across the Stainmore Pass. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a watch tower site from the Roman period in Britain.
Augill lead smelting mill, later iron roasting plant, associated reservoir, leats, flue and chimney and a Roman signal station immediately E of Augill Bridge is classified as a Roman watch tower — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Roman Signal Station, 270m south west of Punchbowl Bridge (1.2 km), Verteris (2.6 km), Romano-British farmstead 700m east of Whingill (5.6 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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Research the area around Augill lead smelting mill, later iron roasting plant, associated reservoir, leats, flue and chimney and a Roman signal station immediately E of Augill Bridge