The road is a scheduled monument, but people can walk along it today.
Thousands of years ago, the Romans descended upon Cambridgeshire. In the years that have passed, there remain and are lost sights where the Romans once stood across the county.
Across Cambridgeshire, there are remains of Roman homes, Roman artefacts and also Roman roads. One of these former Roman roads runs between Worts Causeway and Horseheath.
For many years, this road has been known as Worsted Street, which is thought to be almost 2,000 years old. It starts between Cambridge and finishes near Linton.
Today, it is a scheduled monument and path, allowing people to walk along it and follow in the footsteps of the Romans. When people follow the route, they will follow the route that chariots used to take up to Cambridge, which was known as Duroliponte at the time.
During the Roman period, Cambridge was a small settlement which is believed to have had a military station at some point. The exact date Worsted Street was built is unknown, but it is believed to be Roman.
From this, it is believed it was built later than the first century. Flash forward to the 19th century, and Worsted Street was described as one of Cambridgeshire’s dykes.
There were three serious excavations that took place on Worsted Street. One of these was in the 1920s, when Cyril Fox from the Cambridge Antiquarian Society cut two sections across the road.
Another instance was in 1959, when a gas pipeline was installed along most of the road, and another occurred in 1991 at Worstead Lodge, prior to the A11’s widening. To confirm that the road was Roman, evidence came about along the stretch north of the A11.
A rammed chalk foundation topped with gravel metalling was found. Today, the road resembles a country path, lined with grassland and thick hedges on either side.
It is a perfect place for dog walkers, joggers, or cyclists to experience history and take in the views of the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside.
