Silchester Amphitheatre

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castellum de Silva; Castle of the Wood

In the civil parish of Mortimer West End.
In the historic county of Hampshire (Modern Authority of Hampshire, 1974 county of Hampshire).

Excavations between 1979 and 1985 confirmed that the Roman Amphitheatre was first constructed between 55 and 75 AD with a seating capacity of 3,600 to 3,700. It survived into the first half of C2, and some elements survived into the second stone phase. A second timber phase was dated to C2. it was replaced in stone in the early to mid C3. There is no evidence for reuse of the amphitheatre until the late 1C11/early C12 when a single-aisled hall was constructed in the arena. Fulford argues that the hall may be regarded as the manor house of Silchester during this period. The amphitheatre appears to have been used as a ringwork, containing the hall and possibly one ancillary building with traces of one or more possible fighting platforms. From the early C15 until the 1970s the arena had been used as a farmyard for The Mount farmhouse, and had been metalled by C17 or early C18. Possible the Castellum de Silva reported to be taken by King Stephen in 1147 (see Woodchester)

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU64476260

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 241202

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 18464

• Web site links
  • http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/entries/v02p196e01.html
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.215
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p50
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford)
    Fulford, Michael, 1989, The Silchester amphitheatre: excavations of 1979–85 (London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, Britannia monograph series 10) [espec p 59–65, 175-6, 193–5]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p195
    Allcroft, A. Hadrian, 1908, Earthwork of England (London) p587
• Journal Articles
  • Hughes, Michael, 1989, 'Hampshire Castles and the Landscape 1066-1216' Landscape History Vol2 p27-60
    Fulford, Michael, 1985, ‘Excavations on the sites of the amphitheatre and forum-basilica at Silchester, Hampshire: an interim report' Antiquaries Journal Vol65 p 39–81 esp p72–7
    Michael Fulford, 1982, ‘Silchester’ Current Archaeology Vol7.11 p326-31 esp p331
    Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1982, Medieval Archaeology p184
    Selkirk, A., 1981, ‘Round-up 1980: Silchester' Current Archaeology Vol7.4 p102-3
    1981, Country Life Vol170 p1374-5