Take Six Trips Back in Time At the Only Roman Arch in Britain Still Used by Traffic

Newport Arch is a 3rd-century Roman gate in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. It is a Scheduled monument and Grade I listed building and is reputedly the oldest arch in the United Kingdom still used by traffic.
The arch was re-modelled and enlarged when the city, then Lindum Colonia a Roman town, became capital of the province Flavia Caesariensis in the 4th century. Before that it was probably of wooden construction.
A considerable portion of the north gate of Lincoln - the Newport Arch - is standing, but is buried to the extent of about 8 ft (2.4 m). in the soil and debris accumulated since Roman times. The structure is about 34 ft (10 m) deep and has a single passage for the road, 17½ ft. wide. The inner or back portal of this passage is still intact, and is nearly 16 ft (4.9 m) in the clear and rises to a height of about 22½ ft. above the Roman level. Its arch is of a single ring of large limestone voussoirs rising from imposts which appear to have been moulded. The outer or front arch has long since disappeared. On the east side is a postern for pedestrians, 7 ft (2.1 m). wide and contracting to about 5 ft (1.5 m). at the north end, and 15 ft (4.6 m). high from the Roman level. On the west side there was a similar postern about a century ago. The whole structure is of good masonry, and it appears to have projected considerably beyond the north face of the town wall.
The first old photo is from 1910, the second and third are undated, the fourth is from 1901, the fifth from 1890, and the sixth from Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
Standing on an active city street puts the arch in danger of being hit by motor vehicles, and this has happened several times, occasionally causing considerable damage. Indeed, a future video will concentrate on the most famous of these from 1964, which is why it doesn't appear in this one.