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The Great Britain Guide

Hill forts · East Midlands

Derby Racecourse Roman settlement

RomanFree admission

Derby Racecourse Roman settlement — archaeological site in United Kingdom.

Derby Racecourse Roman settlement, hill forts in East Midlands

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Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
Nearest railway station
Derby · 2.0 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Derby Racecourse Roman settlement is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to AD 120. Part of Icknield Street. Wikidata describes it as: "archaeological site in United Kingdom". Coordinates: 52.9347°, -1.4635°.

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From the Wikipedia article

The Derby Racecourse Roman settlement was the third settlement in Derby or Derventio which was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. It lies 600m east of Derventio fort in Little Chester, on the outskirts of Derby, in the English county of Derbyshire. The Roman road from Derventio to Sawley on the River Trent passes the settlement. It is a scheduled National Monument.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

This part of Britannica was occupied by a tribe known as the Cornovii. In AD 46–47 the Roman Army under the direction of governor Aulius Plautius had probably occupied the lands to the south of the River Trent, so in AD 50 this was the front line. There is a shortage of written documentation about these years so reliance is made on archaeological excavations. Late in 47 the new governor of Britain, Ostorius Scapula, began a campaign against the tribes of modern-day Wales, and the Cheshire Gap. During these times Strutt's Park Roman fort, was one of the new forts built along the new supply road from Wroxeter to Rossington. The campaign to conquer the Silures continued under the governor…

Description

]] The first Roman fort in the area was built on the opposite bank of the River Derwent at Strutt's Park. It was replaced about AD 80 by a fort at Little Chester, but this only lasted about forty years, then decommissioned. The fort was later re-occupied and re-used for a further twenty five years then unoccupied until the late 3rd century when a stone wall was built around the town. There is evidence of extensive Roman activity in Little Chester. Derby Racecourse Roman settlement site was founded around AD 90. It is considered by English Heritage to be an import example of a fort-vicus. This was a civilian settlement attached to a Roman military fort- in this case Derventio. It is a mark…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
52.9347, -1.4635
District
Derby
Parish
Derby, unparished area
Postcode
DE21 4RX
Parliamentary constituency
Derby North
Established
120
Nearest railway station
Derby2 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Derby Racecourse Roman settlement?
Derby Racecourse Roman settlement is in the East Midlands, United Kingdom (postcode DE21 4RX), in the parish of Derby, unparished area.
When was Derby Racecourse Roman settlement built?
Built or established in 120.
Is Derby Racecourse Roman settlement free to visit?
Yes, Derby Racecourse Roman settlement is free to enter.
How do I get to Derby Racecourse Roman settlement?
The nearest railway station is Derby, about 2.0 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode DE21 4RX.