I decided that the last day of the half term break excluding the weekend which I would have off anyway should be a day of recreation. So, after doing some chores in the morning, apologising to the cat for leaving her on her own and doing a couple of tasks downtown I set off for Sandwich and the Roman port of Richborough. The Romans called the place Rutupiae and I expect that was what it was called for many centuries. The ruins - although if you look at from my perspective you could say that since AD43 the Roman builders have taken a heck of a long time to 
finish the place. You can see the foundations and the rest of the buildings but without the reconstruction it is a little difficult to immediately imagine the finished fort.
finish the place. You can see the foundations and the rest of the buildings but without the reconstruction it is a little difficult to immediately imagine the finished fort. A view of the interior
The walls, in spite of my comments about not finishing them, are impressive and are well worth a look to see the pains taken over the construction. If the Romans used slave labor then there must have been some skilled slaves or some extremely vigilant overseers. The construction engineering alone is impressive without the concept of what t
he wall was for - to keep people out and as a platform from which to kill them if they tried to get in. This item cannot do justice to Rutupiae but I will attempt to paint a picture of the fortress. Imagine a large area clear of vegetation other than a few trees close to a river which was once much wider and part of an inlet - the Wantsum - and the fort was set on an island. Ships could dock at its foot as can be seen by the lie of the land whe
re there is a low escarpment and the logical placement of the original roads and gates. The roads that start from the landing place cut through the emplacements to the fourway arch and head North, East South and West with the west gate leading out across the land as the start of the main Roman road through Kent.
he wall was for - to keep people out and as a platform from which to kill them if they tried to get in. This item cannot do justice to Rutupiae but I will attempt to paint a picture of the fortress. Imagine a large area clear of vegetation other than a few trees close to a river which was once much wider and part of an inlet - the Wantsum - and the fort was set on an island. Ships could dock at its foot as can be seen by the lie of the land whe
re there is a low escarpment and the logical placement of the original roads and gates. The roads that start from the landing place cut through the emplacements to the fourway arch and head North, East South and West with the west gate leading out across the land as the start of the main Roman road through Kent.The wooden bridge to the left crossing the ditch is the start of Watling Street (Is this the A2?)
The amazing thing is also to learn that Richborough was the start of the road we know as Watling Street and when you see where it started along with the reconstruction you can with a stretch of the imagination and with the aid of a modern map begin to see where this history stuff kicks in.
As a complementary part of the trip I continued to the coast again 
close to Whitstable and stopped off at Reculver where at one time there would have been a Roman establishment that although not as elaborate as Richborough would nevertheless be a garrison to help protect trade and such on the Wantsum. Today all we see is the towers of the massive church that was once there and evidence of Roman walls close to the pub. I did not have time to take the walk around Reculver but from what I can see from the leaflet I picked up in the pub it is a good stride around the place. Like Richborough it is a bit flat and bleak but what can you expect from a coastal region? However, the towers are worth a visit and I was happy to see a family with children playing running and wrestling games where once Romans and their 
eventual usurpers trod, worshipped and did normal Roman things.
close to Whitstable and stopped off at Reculver where at one time there would have been a Roman establishment that although not as elaborate as Richborough would nevertheless be a garrison to help protect trade and such on the Wantsum. Today all we see is the towers of the massive church that was once there and evidence of Roman walls close to the pub. I did not have time to take the walk around Reculver but from what I can see from the leaflet I picked up in the pub it is a good stride around the place. Like Richborough it is a bit flat and bleak but what can you expect from a coastal region? However, the towers are worth a visit and I was happy to see a family with children playing running and wrestling games where once Romans and their 
eventual usurpers trod, worshipped and did normal Roman things. A Roaming Rabbit at Rutupiae - is this a direct descendent of the creatures the Romans brought with them?
And naturally we have to look at what the Romans did for us - they created trade, roads, brought new ideas, new foods, beat the daylights out of us, the idea of cheap labor and of course the dear, furry little bunny. But I d recommend taking a look at Richborough and relating its impact if you can to the modern world.
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