Wroxeter Trip
LATIN LOVERS TAKE A TRIP
After three years of careful study of various Latin texts the Latin group decided it was time to visit the Roman city of Vericonium (Wroxeter) which lies near to the town of Shrewsbury and was the fourth largest Roman city in Britain.
Bright and early on Thursday morning 10 Latin lovers assembled in Birchley Street and boarded the minibus for the journey to the ancient ruins.
On our arrival at the English Heritage site we were met by our tour guide Philip Dexter who showed us round the excavated ruins & used various items which have been preserved from the city to demonstrate how the 6000 inhabitants had lived. In reality only a small part of the city is still visible and these parts largely consist of lavatorial and retail elements. We were astonished at the scale of the massive basilica which housed the gymnasia and the heated, tepid and cold baths. Next to the shopping centre was the communal lavatory reminiscent of the Trafford Centre with its nearby sewage works! The Romans were clearly unimpressed by the English climate however and the outdoor pool was filled in soon after it was built!
After a packed lunch we made our way to Saint Andrews church about half a mile from the English Heritage site. It had been built almost entirely from material scavenged from the ruins of the Roman city. A further half a mile brought us to the Wroxeter Roman vineyard where the proprietor showed us round his vineyard with great enthusiasm and humour. He explained much of the secrets and inventive techniques used to manufacture and produce English red, white, and rosé wines.
Once the theory was out of the way we assembled to sample three of the vineyards 'Grand Cru' and were shown the marking techniques used in assessing wines. There followed an opportunity to purchase bottles to take home which was of course embraced enthusiastically!
We all greatly enjoyed the day and arrived back at Birch Street slightly older and much wiser!
Note: the three largest cities were Londinium, Verulamium, Corinium Dobunnorum. (London, St Albans, Cirencester)