Raw Dykes

Raw Dykes stands in Leicester, a scheduled Roman earthwork of two parallel banks with a channel between them. The surviving stretch is 110 metres long, though once it ran at least 550 metres. The central ditch was designed to speed water flow, suggesting it carried water into the town. Some experts argue it was a canal instead, but the aqueduct view remains most likely. Kathleen Kenyon thought the level was too low for a working aqueduct, while J.S. Wacher believed the Romans could have pumped water uphill. Archaeologists found 1st-century pottery sherds, placing its construction in or after that time. The earthwork first appears in Leicester’s accounts of 1322, long after Roman rule ended. During the English Civil War, Royalists used part of it as an artillery position. Later, 18th- and 19th-century maps recorded its presence before Leicester’s growth shortened it. The site is fenced off today, but a viewing enclosure off Aylestone Road lets visitors see the remains. Its history shows how the Romans shaped the land for water and how later armies adapted it. Visitors find two low parallel banks with a shallow ditch between them, set in a quiet green space. The surviving section is short but clear, showing the careful Roman engineering. A viewing platform gives a clear view without disturbing the monument. Nearby Aylestone Road frames the site, linking past and present. The enclosure keeps the earthwork safe while allowing a close look at its structure. It is a quiet place where history can still be read in the earth.