The Case for a possible Roman Canal running into Leicester; by John Poulter

The case for a Roman transport canal running into Leicester by Steve Mitchell and John Poulter was published in Itinera volume III, but this talk will provide more details and analyses of the authors' thinking in reaching their conclusions about this intriguing possibility. Join us on Thursday November 27th, 2025 at 19:30 GMT (London time).

A photograph of Raw Dykes taken in 1920, at the start of the Kenyon excavations, possibly part of a Roman canal

Representing more than 20 years of determined investigation and careful analysis, the case for a Roman canal running into Leicester was fully published in volume III of Itinera, together with a supplementary report providing even more detail in the RRRA archive, available here. This Zoom talk will allow the two researchers, Steve Mitchell and John Poulter, to provide more background about their thinking – and of course, to answer questions about it afterwards. Both Steve and John went to school in Leicester and know the area well, and both are members of the RRRA. If they should be correct, the Roman canal which they envisage displays a remarkable level of water management, including, in part, a canalised River Soar, and, if so, it seems certain that the Roman surveyor and engineer who designed it was not a beginner. His solution, Steve and John believe, not only provided an answer to the transport of stone and other materials to the construction sites of Roman Leicester’s public baths and also its forum but it then delivered the water to the baths once they had been brought into operation.

Photo of the Raw Dykes as the surviving feature looks today, taken by Ashley Dace in 2010

This presentation will take place via Zoom, and will be followed by a Q&A session. As with all our talks, tickets are free, but we welcome donations when booking a ticket to help us cover our costs. Attendees will receive a link by email after registration, and reminder emails two days before the talk. The meeting room will open to the public at 7:15pm GMT (London time) with the talk starting at 7:30pm GMT (London time).