London To Lewes Way (Roman Road) - Camp Hill To Lewes

Camp Hill To Lewes

The southernmost 18 kilometres (11 mi) alignment to Lewes was sighted between Camp Hill and Malling Hill on the east side of Lewes. The road passes east of Streater's Farm, which is likely to have taken its name from the road, and runs east of the modern road to Duddleswell until crossing it 220 metres (240 yd) north of Fairwarp church. A slag metalled agger exists at Old Workhouse Farm where the road leaves the open forest. Before reaching the roundabout on the A22 road there is a 4.5 metres (15 ft) wide terrace cut into a sandstone outcrop. After passing west of Maresfield the road can be traced through Park Wood and Fairhazel Wood at Piltdown as an agger with slag metalling. A visible agger in the park at Buckham Hill House was found by Margary to have perfectly intact metalling of slag, gravel and brown flints, 4.5 metres (15 ft) wide and 38 centimetres (15 in) thick in the centre. The road passes to the west of Isfield's remote church, through a triangular water meadow, before crossing the River Ouse beside a Norman castle motte, suggesting that there was still a river crossing to guard at the Norman conquest. Near Gallops Farm the road runs along the eastern side of Alder Coppice and traces of slag can be found in the fields all the way to Barcombe Mills and the junction with the Sussex Greensand Way. The road recrossed the Ouse at the mill site and was found intact in a field to the south, 6 metres (20 ft) wide, solidly constructed from flint and a little slag. Some pottery fragments found at the road edge suggest a date of 100 A.D. or earlier. Beyond this some 700 metres (770 yd) of road have been eroded away by the river, then the course of the road can be traced by slag in the fields west of Wellingham House. The modern A26 road runs on the line from Pay Gate Cottages, past Upper Stoneham Farm, then turns southwest to skirt round Malling Down while the Roman road continues along the east side of the allotments and over the shoulder of the down to Cliffe.