Great Chesterford

Great Chesterford is a village in Essex (United Kingdom), near which are the remains of a Roman town. The ancient name of this city is unknown.

The Roman remains of Great Chesterford are among the oldest in Britain. A military camp possibly dating as early as the time of the first UK campaign of Aulus Plautius, in the year 43 AD A second military camp was built in the second half of the first century. After withdrawal of the military here was a substantial settlement with urban character, which occupied an area of ​​about 14 hectares. The map does not show a regular structure, in contrast to many other Roman cities. Most of the buildings were made of wood; but there are also stone buildings, mainly found in the center of town next to a large square, which is probably caused by a marketplace. North of this square stood an octagonal building, which is perhaps concerned a temple. In the fourth century a city wall was built, some of older homes built over. Excavations there was also a cemetery. In some distance from the city a Gallo-Roman temple with standing within a temenos. This was decorated with wall paintings and an inscription in metal letters. Here there was also a small silver plate with the bearded face of a deity. Next to the temple sacrificial pits were discovered with the bones of over 1000 lambs. Outside the Tempeleinzäumung there were several buildings, perhaps apartments and shops that belonged to the temple area. There was also an Anglo-Saxon cemetery to be excavated, which occupies a certain continuity of settlement to the Middle Ages.

The name Great Chesterford is called for the first time in a document from the year 1004. The village church dates from the 13th century.