Sadly, our former secretary Allen Jones passed away in April after a long illness. A chartered accountant by profession, he ran an export company for a time and later served as a Henley Town Councillor. 

His interest in archaeology stems from his childhood in Horsham when shown the Roman road nearby by his grandfather. Allen eventually made the exploration of this road, a spur off Stane Street, his retirement project.

I first heard about this when he said that he was looking for a Roman Road near Bowsey Hill (between Knowl Hill and Crazies Hill). After exploring the area it was decided that if the road existed at all, then it was the lane known as Star Lane, the eastern flank of Bowsey Hill, the bye-road at its top then becoming public highway at Fox Steep Corner including Culham Lane, where it joins the Henley – Maidenhead Road. This was as far as we got with his project. 

Assuming the supposed road is roughly on its Roman planning line then that line crosses Temple Island, Benham’s Lane and then picks up Hollandridge Lane at Stonor, then to Christmas Common and, as a straight line, on to Roman Dorchester. Whether it terminates on the Upper or Lower Icknield Way, and then as a spur to Dorchester, is unknown.