Where Is Alchester?

Alchester is in Oxfordshire, England. It is situated close to the village of Wendlebury approximately two miles from Bichester. A large Roman military camp is situated here whose Roman name is unknown. In Roman Britain, Alchester was considered to be at a very strategic location. It is at a junction of five roads namely the road between St-Albans and Cirenchester and the roads of Towchester, Dorchester and Silchester. An archaeological excavation in 2003 discovered a soldier's tombstone that gave proof of the camp's occupation by Legio II Augusta a legion commanded by Vespasian.

The streets in Alchester are based on a grid pattern that is seldom found in Britain. In 1766 a bathhouse was unearthed here. In 1848 during the construction of the railway between Betley and Oxford a cemetery was found. Because Alchester does not feature in any classical geography the Roman name of this town is unknown. The Claudian Vexillation fortress is also believed to have been in Alchester during the Roman era.

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