Wroxeter

Wroxeter (pronounced "Rock-Sitter") is a village in the county of Shropshire, England, on the east bank of the River Severn, at gbmapping|SJ563082. It is located on the site of the Roman city of Viroconium Cornoviorum, known in Old Welsh as "Caer Guricon". Viroconium was the fourth largest civitas capital in Roman Britain. As Caer Guricon it may have served as the early Dark Age capital of the kingdom of Powys. Mercian encroachment forced the Welsh to move to Mathrafal castle sometime before 717.

Pengwern and Powys were, perhaps, both divisions of the pre-Roman Cornovii tribel federation whose civitas (capital) or administrative centre was Viroconium Cornoviorum (now Wroxeter). The minor Magonsaete/Magonsæte sub-kingdom would also emerge in the area in the interlude between Pwys and Mercian rule.

The main section of the Roman road Watling Street runs from Dover to Wroxeter.

Some impressive standing ruins from Viroconium are located just outside the village, where there is also a small museum. There is a vineyard in the village [http://www.wroxetervineyard.co.uk (Wroxeter Roman Vineyard)] , which is one of two commercial vineyards in the county and since 2004 holds the record for growing the most northerly red wine grapes in the world.

Wroxeter (and Silchester) are the only large Roman settlements in Britain that did not grow into a large towns or cities. There is considerable debate about why this is. One school of thought is that a major event such as a flood (still a regular occurrence in the area) caused the population to relocate to Shrewsbury. This suggestion is, however, disputed. Another suggestion is that the Roman defences of the city were too demanding (in manpower and to maintain) for the post-Roman era inhabitants and so the site of Shrewsbury was chosen as it is more easily defended.

Wroxeter is about 5 miles south-east of the town of Shrewsbury and is near to the village of Atcham. It lies in the parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham. The Royal Mail postcode begins SY4.