The Roman roads in Britain T here is no doubt that one of the greatest achievements the Romans brought to Britain was the construction of the network of roads that rang throughout the whole country. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services.A FASCINATING map reveals the ancient Roman roads Britons still use every day.The 2,000-year-old highways include key routes around London, Manchester, Cardiff and Bath.The map shows some of the UK's most important roads today, highlighting the ones built by Roman invaders.In nearly four centuries of occupation between 43 and 410 AD, they constructed around 2,000 miles of roads in Britain, known to its occupants as "Britannia".Along with aqueducts, coins, food and language, the paved highways were among the most important things brought to the UK by the Romans.Their main remaining roads in Britain include Watling Street from Dover to St Albans, and Ermine Street from London to Lincoln and York.The huge network of roads, largely complete by 180 AD, were designed to link key Roman strongholds by the most direct possible route.As a result, the most are distinctively straight as they march for mile after mile across Britain.The Romans were very particular about the way they built their roads, with many rules that were strictly followed by workers across the Empire.By law, the minimum width of a road was fixed at 2.4m where it was straight, and 4.9m where it turned.The Romans largely remained in the south of Britain, famously never managing to take Scotland from the country's violent Barbarian forces.By 410 AD, the Empire was falling apart, and Roman rule ended in Britain when soldiers were recalled to Rome to protect other parts of it.The Roman Empire conquered vast swathes of Europe, West Asia and North Africa.A Roman force of 40,000 led by Aulus Plautius landed in Kent and took the south east in 43 AD.Key tribal leaders surrendered, and within three years Britain was declared part of the Roman Empire.Londinium (London) was founded in 47 AD and became the country's capital. In general, there were three layers. Britain Express is a labour of love by David Ross, an avid historian, photographer, and 'Britain-ophile'. The map shows some of the UK's most important roads today, highlighting the ones built by Roman invaders. During this campaign alone the army built over 60 forts and over 1200 miles of roads.

Archaeologists have mapped hundreds of kilometres of Roman roads that have been lost for thousands of years. A road occupied a wide strip of land bounded by shallow ditches, varying in width from 86 pedes (25.5 m or 84 ft) on Ermin Way in Berkshire to 338 pedes (100 m or 330 ft) on Akeman Street in Oxfordshire.A trunk road in Britain would typically be 5–8 m (16–26 ft) in width, with a gauge …
This was known as the Fosse Way, the first great Roman road in Britain. These roads were built after Rome invaded Britain in 43AD. A clue to the existence of former Roman roads is the prefix "street", as in Streatley, or Streatham. Networks of roads were built across the country.Over time, the Britons began to adopt Roman customs, such as towns, animals, a new religion and ways of reading and counting. Roman roads (Latin: viae Romanae [ˈwɪ.ae̯ roːˈmaːnae̯]; singular: via Romana [ˈwɪ.a roːˈmaːna]; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. The Fosse Way has been largely adapted for modern highways.The next military push established a new frontier between Lincoln and York, Wroxeter and Chester, and Gloucester and Caerleon. It was not engineered, and would have abounded in hollows, ruts and obstructions of all kinds.