‘Salt Way’ was a Minor Roman Route to take Salt from Droitwich to the Roman Towns of the South Midlands & on down to the Chilterns. Its use as a Regional Road carried on into Medieval times. The Droitwich area of Worcestershire is famous as a source of common Salt (sodium chloride) & for its Brine Baths.
Roman Road from Droitwich to Alcester, Stratford-upon-Avon, Ettington, Compton Wynyates, Broughton, Kings Sutton, Finmere, Buckingham & Fenny Stratford.
The natural Brine at Droitwich is 10-times Saltier than Sea Water – only the Waters of the Dead Sea are as Concentrated. There is Archaeological evidence that the Salt Deposits were being exploited by man as far back as the Iron Age & possibly before. The Water from natural Brine Springs was fed into man-made Pits, lined to stop Contamination. The Salt was probably extracted by Evaporation. The strongest Droitwich Brine Well, by contrast, was said to produce fully saturated Brine at an eye-watering 260-grm per litre.
Romans: – came to Droitwich specifically to get the Salt (which they used to Pay their Soldiers.) They called their Settlement, which included a substantial Fort, “Salinae” – meaning “Salt Works”. The Romans stayed in Droitwich for 400-yrs.
Doomsday Book: The Anglo-Saxons continued to exploit the Brine Springs in the area, calling their Settlement “Saltwich“. They had Furnaces to Evaporate the Salt on the Banks of the River Salwarpe. The importance of Droitwich & the Wealth its Salt Deposits created, is indicated in the Doomsday Book – which gives the Town a higher Value than Worcester or Newcastle. According to this Record Droitwich was producing 1000 tons of Salt a Year.
Salt-making at Droitwich probably dates back to the Iron Age. Natural Salt Springs, far Saltier than Seawater, rose around what is now the Centre of the Town. Most but not all Salt Springs lie within the areas where Droitwich Halite Beds may occur in the underlying Rocks, but those near Evesham & at Cheltenham to the South are beyond the maximum extent of these Beds. We cannot therefore assume that the Salt of the Droitwich Halite Beds is the source of the Salt in these Waters. Two of the springs come directly from the Droitwich Halite Beds and there is no doubt of the Origin of the Salt there.
The Romans Industrialised the Salt Extraction Process & then supplied that Salt across the Midlands. Droitwich lies on a minor Roman Road between modern-day Birmingham & Worcester (A38). Salt Way begins as a Road heading East, roughly following the B4090, to the Convergence of the Rivers Alne & Arrow at Alcester. There it met a more major North-south Toad, Ryknild or Icknield Street (not to be confused with the Icknield Way along the Chilterns). From the Crossing of the Arrow, Salt Way follows the Route of the A422 into Stratford-upon-Avon. Today the Modern Road bypasses Alcester. The Route of the Roman Road is most likely marked not by the Old Main Road, but by the Footpath South of that which leaves to the Town heading towards the Main Road. From Alcester the Route is a straight line, including the Escarpment at Red Hill, to the Roman Crossing Point on the River Avon – at the Site of the Medieval ‘Clopton Bridge’.
Its 14-Stone arches were originally Built in 1484, Repaired & Widened over the Centuries since. The Iron Walkway attached to the side that Pedestrians Cross was added in the early-19thC. It is essentially the same Bridge that was in use when Ogilby made his Maps here in 1675. From Stratford it’s an almost straight line to Ettington – though the Route might be marked more accurately by the Footpath running through the Fields from Crofts Farm to Goldicote House. Beyond Upper Goldicote, Salt Way splits from the Modern A422 (the Route of the Georgian, Stratford & Edgehill Turnpike) Heading to the South of the Road – perhaps crossing the Hill there on the present-day Trackway on an alignment with Black Marton Hill. On the far side of the Ettington the Route meets the Major Roman Highway, the Fosse Way. From Ettington where the Route is Lost, perhaps passing through Fulready, Salt Way heads towards Whatcote. At Whatcote the Route reappears in the Local Field Boundaries & becomes a Road again at Compton Wynyates – an Ancient Manor House – where it Climbs the Escarpment to cross The Jurassic Way near The White House Crossroads. The best Section of the Road is from Compton Wynyates or The White House into Banbury. From the local high point of Sibford Heath, the Route traverses the long, wide Valley past Madmarston Hill & Swalcliffe Lea. The area between Madmaston Hill, Upper Lea Farm, Swalcliffe Lea & Swalcliffe Mill, was one of the largest Romano-British Settlements in the County.
Salt Way runs through this Settlement. Just beyond, down from the Small Hill before Fulling Mill, is where Time Team recently unearthed an extensive Roman Villa. The Site showed evidence of Metalworking & so may have been linked to the Operations at nearby Swalcliffe Lea. Beyond this point, though, its Course is not entirely clear. The Route is mixed-up with other Later Routes which cross this Hilly Landscape. This Industry continued Operating until the 19thC. The Local Salt Road was still used to move Salt until the coming of the Canal in the 1850s, which fell to the Railways a few decades later.
The Salt King: In the 19thC John Corbett, the Son of a Black Country Barge Owner, transformed the exploitation of the Brine at Droitwich into an Industrial Age Operation – making a Fortune in process. He became known as The Salt King – A Pillar of Salt. The Chateau Impney, in Droitwich Spa, was Built by the Wealthy Salt-Magnate, John Corbett, for his Wife.
This Image shows the former British Alkali Co part of the Stoke Prior Salt Works looking from the East. It shows on the left the ‘Stack‘ that had been erected in 1836 whilst to the right are the Chimneys of the Salt Works. In the middle of the photograph are several Railway Wagons whilst 6-women are walking along a Footpath in the Foreground. The Building with the 4 windows that is situated behind the Women is thought to be the Locomotive Shed with the Wagon Works beyond. John Corbett owned the Stoke Prior Salt Works until 1888 when he Sold the whole Complex to the Salt Union Ltd.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 
