Historical Roads and Highways
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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Exploring the History of the Ridgeway
This chapter delves into the various historical elements along the Ridgeway, such as the Wayland Smithy burial mound, the White Horse pictogram, and the Avery Henge and stone circles. It also discusses how the Ridgeway transformed from various paths into a single trail due to England's enclosure acts, leading to the establishment of private property.
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Episode notes
This episode covers three examples of historically important roads. One is quite ancient, one is an important part of the development of the U.S., and the third is a more modern road that’s been lauded for its design.
Research:
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- Haughton, Brian. “The White Horse of Uffington.” March 30, 2011. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/229/the-white-horse-of-uffington/
- Johnson, Ben. “Ancient Standing Stones.” Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Ancient-Standing-Stones/
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- Longfellow, Rickie. “The National Road.” U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/back-time/national-road
- Mclaughlan, Scott, PhD. “What were the enclosure acts?” The Collector. Nov. 12, 2023. https://www.thecollector.com/what-were-the-enclosure-acts/
- McNamara, Robert. "The National Road, America's First Major Highway." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/the-national-road-177405
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- “RESEARCH AND SOURCES FOR WAYLAND’S SMITHY.” English Heritage. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/waylands-smithy/history/research-and-sources/
- “The Ridgeway.” National Trails. https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/the-ridgeway/
- “The Ridgeway Information.” National Trails. https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/the-ridgeway/trail-information/
- Stenton, F. M. “The Road System of Medieval England.” The Economic History Review, vol. 7, no. 1, 1936, pp. 1–21. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2590730
- “WAYLAND'S SMITHY.” English Heritage. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/waylands-smithy/
- “Wayland’s Smithy chambered long barrow, including an early barrow and Rion Age and Roman boundary ditches.” Historic England. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1008409?section=official-list-entry
- Whittle, Alasdair & Brothwell, Don & Cullen, Rachel & Gardner, Neville & Kerney, M.. (2014). Wayland's Smithy, Oxfordshire: Excavations at the Neolithic Tomb in 1962–63 by R. J. C. Atkinson and S. Piggott. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. 57. 61-101. 10.1017/S0079497X00004515.
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