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Shielhill North
Roman Road (Roman), Watch Tower (Roman)
Site Name Shielhill North
Classification Roman Road (Roman), Watch Tower (Roman)
Alternative Name(s) Westerton; Gask Ridge
Canmore ID 25378
Site Number NN81SE 8
NGR NN 8559 1219
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/25378
- Council Perth And Kinross
- Parish Ardoch
- Former Region Tayside
- Former District Perth And Kinross
- Former County Perthshire
NN81SE 8559 1229
NN 8562 1220. Aerial reconnaissance revealed a signal tower on the NW side of a Roman road. The two surrounding ditches, with an entrance gap facing the road, and the four post-holes for the tower were observed.
J K St Joseph 1973
Although nothing can be seen on the ground, the site falls on a slight natural mound beside the line of the Roman road with a good view to the south but restricted vision to the north.
Visited by OS (JP) 23 April 1975
NN 856 122 A resistivity survey was conducted at this Gask series tower to attempt to reconcile J K St Joseph's unpublished excavation plan, which shows it as circular, with its sub-rectangular appearance on air photographs (NMRS NN81SE 8). The survey revealed a sub-rectangular, almost square, double-ditched site, c 24m in diameter, with a single entrance break facing the Roman road to the SE.
Sponsors: Manchester University Art History & Archaeology Department, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
D J Wooliscroft and N J Lockett 1996.
7
Aerial Photographic Transcription (5 February 1997 - 13 February 1997)
An aerial transcription was produced from oblique aerial photographs. Information from Historic Environment Scotland (BM) 31 March 2017.
Field Visit (25 November 1997)
NN81SE 8559 1229
The site of this Roman watch tower, which is revealed by cropmarking on oblique aerial photographs (CUCAP, RCAHMSAP 1982, 1984), lies on a low rounded knoll, set immediately to the N of the line of the Roman road (RR9a, NN 81 SE 11).
Visited by RCAHMS (DCC) 25 November 1997
Excavation (2009)
NN 8558 1217 Air photography had suggested that the Roman Gask frontier road divided just to the SW of the Shielhill North watchtower and then reunited a few hundred metres to the NE, on the far side of a burn valley. A small trench was opened at the point of divergence, which confirmed the aerial indications and found the road in an excellent state of preservation. No firm dating was obtained for either line. A fragment of Victorian glazed pottery was found over the diverging branch, but in a dark earth layer that appeared to have formed after the road had gone out of regular use. The diverging branch was, however, noticeably less well built, being a relatively loose layer of fist-sized stones, whereas the main route was of more normal Roman construction. It
did, though follow much easier gradients which had been further moderated across the burn valley by the use of slight cuttings and embankments.
Archive: The Roman Gask Project
Funder: Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust
DJ Woolliscroft and B Hoffmann – The Roman Gask Project
