#mansio

Letocetum (or Wall as it is now called) nestles beside the small village of Wall on Watling Street in Lichfield. The fact that it sits on Watling Street says it all really. Even though it seems to be plonked down in the middle of nowhere, just a few yards from the thrum of the A5 and M6, originally this was a key point along a major trading route. It served as a resting point on this vital route, which stretched from the Kentish coast to North Wales. Today you can see the footings for the Mansio (a staging post, designed for officials to rest on their journey) and the Bath House.

When I arrived in early December the museum itself was closed, so all I could do was wander around the ruins, but that in itself was the main reason to be there. The weather was dry and cold and the light perfect for such a tranquil spot. There were a team of gardeners there when I looked around, so it was a bit of a challenge to get photos without a fluorescent jacket or tractor. Other than that, the place was deserted. It is hard when you come to sites like this to get a true idea of what the place looked like, there are only the footings there now, as is true in virtually all places where the Romans left a fingerprint, but the place does feel special. I think the road, a plumb straight line through the ruins adds to it and it is easy to picture it as an area of activity. It was also my first time visiting a Mansio and the size of it was pretty remarkable.

But one of my favourite parts was the Bath House. Not only was it easy to see the caldarium, frigidarium and plunge pool etc. but the pilae stacks were in great condition, along with the furnace, and here, again, there was a sense of a living memory rather than a pile of stones.

It would have been nice to visit the museum and see some of the artefacts that have been found here, but it was closed for the season. This just means that, like York, I have an excuse to come back.