Watling Street

Today the V4 is just another of the grid roads that run through Milton Keynes – but it was proably the most important road in British history. It has been the major South East to North West artery for almost 2000 years, perhaps for even longer.

The full route ran from the ports on the English channel. Richborough was the site of the landing during the invasion – and remained a key port, though it was later overtaken in importance by Dover. As previous posts mention, it may have originally crossed the Thames where the Palace of Westminster now stands – but after 50AD when through  the new city of London. It was crossed in Leicestershire by the less important SW to NE road from Exeter to Lincoln known as the Fosse Way. There were probably two destinations – Chester and Wroxeter.

The Watling which saw the end of Boudicca’s rebellion took place at some point close to this highway.

In the Saxon period most of it was, briefly, a major frontier – between Anglo-Saxon England and Danelaw. Most of the frontier was on the Watling Street, but at Stony Stratford the boundary left Watling Street and followed the Ouse – so Milton Keynes, east of Watling Street, was an outpost of the English kingdom.

In the Middle Ages it was a key transport route – and it was in this period that Stony Stratford became important. The coaching inns still remain! Until the A5 was diverted through a new grade-separated dual carriageway in our city, what we know as the V4 was a major national trunk route.